Winning Races Is More Important In Search For Cup

Prior to NASCAR making recent changes to their points structure, many people, fans and drivers alike, made a plea to make winning more imperative to win the Sprint Cup.  Many said the added points for wins entering the Chase just was not enough.  Well, apparently the changes NASCAR made has worked.

For the past nine years (2005-2013) the NASCAR champion has had a season win total of 5 or more.  The last time a champion had less than 5 was in 2004 when Kurt Busch won the championship with 3 wins.  Of course, much of the Chase came about after the 2003 season when Kenseth won the Cup with only 1 win.  The average win total of the champion from 1999-2004 was 4.2.

With Johnson totaling 6 wins this season on his way to his 6th championship, the average win total for the champion since 2004 is 6.1. 

Drivers and teams alike are striving more to gain wins through the summer stretch to amass larger bonus point totals heading into the Chase.  In seasons past, teams would be more likely to be conservative through the summer in order to maintain their standing heading into the final stretch of the year. 

Yes, every driver want's to win, but no driver is going to press a 10th place car to win, chancing a bad finish, unless he thinks it is worth the risk.  In years past, it was much more worth it to maintain a solid foundation for an end of the year run for the title.

Not every result anticipated by NASCAR after their changes to the points system has come to fruition, but it looks fairly safe to say that their will be no more 1 win champions.

Posted in: Jimmie Johnson,Kurt Busch,Matt Kenseth,nascar news,NASCAR Race Results,Sprint Cup