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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Regardless of who wins the 2015 Sprint Cup Championship, NASCAR CEO Brian France will have egg on his face.
Why?
Because France's formula for a championship driver is flawed.
It's laughable that at Homestead, in the final race of the 2015 racing season, Joey Logano, NASCAR's winningest driver with six victories -- including the Daytona 500 -- won't be vying for the championship.
Last year, Ryan Newman, who had no wins heading into The Chase finale at Homestead was among the final four competing for the Sprint Cup Championship.
All Newman had to do to be crowned champion was finished ahead of the other three finalists, even if he didn't win the race himself.
Fortunately for France, Kevin Harvick not only finished ahead of Newman, but won the race outright and was crowned champion.
Who was left out? Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won his second Daytona 500 in 10 years.
And Earnhardt's three wins in 2014 were certainly more than Newman who didn't win a single race.
So here we go again in 2015. Joey Logano led all drivers in 2015 heading into Homestead with six wins, including the Daytona 500. And like Junior last year, Logano's not in the upcoming The Chase finale. Why? Ask NASCAR's Brian France? Headline Surfer® did via email and got no response.
So here we go again in 2015. Joey Logano led all drivers in 2015 heading into Homestead with six wins, including the Daytona 500. And like Junior last year, Logano's not in the upcoming The Chase finale. Why? Ask NASCAR's Brian France? Headline Surfer® did via email and got no response.
And how ironic it is that Kevin Harvick is in The Chase finale again, considering he was the driver who took over for Junior's father, the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr after he was killed coming off of turn 4 of the last lap in the 2001 Daytona 500, running in third place with his DEI drivers, Michael Waltrip and Dale Earnhardt Jr 1-2 at the time. Earnhardt was inadvertently bumped from behind by Sterling Marlin trying to get around him.
And as a result, the elder Earnhardt slammed into the outside retaining concrete wall nearly head-on collecting Ken Schrader' with him. Earnhardt was killed instantly and NASCAR's fans were stunned. Waltrip went on to win the 2001 Daytona 500 and Junior won his first Daytona 500 in 2004.
But with NASCAR's greatest driver gone in Ernhart, and attendance beginning to wane, France came up with the gimmick known as "The Chase for the Championship" which later was shortened to "The Chase." And as a consequence, the Daytona 500 had little value, despite the longtime monikers that described it as "The Great American Race" and "The Super Bowl of auto racing."
Consider:
• Joey Logano with his six wins, including the Daytona 500, has more season victorieas than three of the top 4 finalists for this year's Chase combined: Jeff Gordon, seeded first, has only one win. Kevin Harvick has three, Kyle Busch four and Martibn Truex Jr. has one.
• The four drivers not in the Chase finale have far more combined victoriews (19) than the four who are in (nine): Logano's six, Jimmie Joghnson and Matt Kenseth with five each, And Dale Earbnhardt Jr with three wins.
France's gimmick made an icon of Jimmie Johnson, who has won all six of his cup championships in the era of the Chase, including five in a row.
So what could be embarrassing to France this time around with The Chase finale as it relates to the Daytona 500, which may have seen its worst attendance since the first few years of its running?
How about the fact that one of the other three drivers in the finale at Homestead, Kyle Busch, wasn't even in the 2015 Daytona 500.
Why? Because Busch hit an inside retaining wall during the XFinity race the day before and suffered a broken leg and ankle.
Wouldn't it truly be a smack n the face to Brian France for Kyle Busch to win the Sprint Cup Championship, considering France was not forthright about the wall not having the soft-wall installation.
So what could be embarrassing to NASCAR's Brian France this time around with The Chase finale as it relates to the Daytona 500, which may have seen its worst attendance since the first few years of its running?
How about the fact that one of the other three drivers in the finale at Homestead, Kyle Busch, wasn't even in the 2015 Daytona 500.
Why? Because Busch hit an inside retaining wall during the XFinity race the day before and suffered a broken leg and ankle. Wouldn't it truly be a smack n the face to Brian France for Kyle Busch to win the Sprint Cup Championship, considering France was not forthright about the wall not having the soft-wall installation.
Plus, France had suspended Busch's brother, Kurt Busch from competing in the Daytona 500, over a domestic incident that was later dismissed.
Yet, France cried foul several years ago when media outlets sought and gor his divorce records from a North Carolina courthouse which showed his then-estranged wife hadf alleged he was verbally abusive, which he denied.
FAST FACTS: Daytona 500 irrelevant in era of The Chase
• Since the introduction of The Chase in 2004, only Jimmie Johnson has won the Daytona 500 and the Cup championship in the same season. Johnson has done it twice -- in 2006 and 2013.
• In 1959, Lee Petty won the inaugural Daytona 500 and the Cup championship in the same season. Following Lee Petty was son, Richard Petty, who accomplished the feat four times (1964, 1971, 1974, 1979). Cale Yarborough won the Daytona 500 and the Cup championship in 1977. And Jeff Gordon was the last driver to win both in 1997.
Did You Know?
So who's in and who's out in the 2015 version of The Chase finale at Homestead International Speedway in Homestead, Florida, this Sunday?
• Who's In: Kevin Harvick (3 wins), Kyle Busch 4 wins), Jeff Gordon 1 win) and Martin Truex Jr. (1 win).
• Who's Out: Joey Logano (6 wins, including the Daytona 500 & no DNFs), Jimmie Johnson (5 wins), Matt Kenseth (5 wins), Dale Earnhardt Jr (3 wins), Carl Edwards (2 wins), Denny Hamlin (2 wins), Brad Kezelowski (1 win).