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After Monday's race, did you find yourself wondering what the points standings would look like if the old NASCAR points system was in place? Don't worry, we've got you covered.
Welcome to our new weekly feature that we'll run every week during the Chase. After every race, we'll translate the finishes from the previous seven years of the Chase to see how previous Chases would have looked like with the new NASCAR points system in place.
And for fun, we'll use the rules that were in place for the 2010 Chase and apply them towards the 2011 Chase to see if drivers really are going to be penalized more for bad finishes throughout the Chase.
Before we get started, we've got a couple things to go over. Since this is the first year of the Wild Card, drivers who started the Chase in 11th and 12th in previous years receive credit for their wins and when running this year's standings with the old points system, Brad Keselowski receives credit for his three wins.
We'll also account for penalties too, meaning that the wrecker still costs Clint Bowyer and that naughty s-word still costs Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Are you ready to see what every other year would have looked like after the first race of the Chase? Let's go.
2004:
Seven Chasers finished in the top 13 at Loudon, and the big loser was Tony Stewart, who, thanks to his crash with Ryan Newman, finished 39th.
What if? points standings:
Junior 2012 (points at the beginning of the Chase), 2054 (points after race one)
Ku. Busch 2006, 2054
Jeff Gordon 2015, 2053
Matt Kenseth 2006, 2048
Jimmie Johnson 2012, 2046
Elliott Sadler 2006, 2043
Mark Martin 2003, 2034
Newman 2003 , 2015
Stewart 2006 , 2012
Jeremy Mayfield 2003, 2012
Actual points standings:
Ku. Busch 5210
Junior 5210
Gordon 5201
Kenseth 5200
Johnson 5180
Sadler 5172
Martin 5139
Stewart 5086
Newman 5074
Mayfield 5068
2005:
Newman and Stewart went 1-2, albeit not as teammates.
What if? points standings:
Stewart 2015, 2058
Newman 2000 , 2047
Greg Biffle 2015 , 2046
Kenseth 2003, 2044
Johnson 2006 , 2042
Martin 2000 , 2038
Rusty Wallace 2000 , 2038
Carl Edwards 2006 , 2031
Mayfield 2003 , 2031
Busch 2009 , 2018
Actual Points Standings:
Stewart 5230
Biffle 5210
Wallace 5190
Newman 5190
Kenseth 5180
Johnson 5177
Martin 5176
Mayfield 5135
Edwards 5121
Ku. Busch 5088
2006:
10 Chase drivers were in the top 16 and Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson finished 38th and 39th respectively.
What if? points standings:
Kevin Harvick 2009 , 2056
Gordon 2006 , 2052
Denny Hamlin 2006 , 2047
Kenseth 2012 , 2045
Kasey Kahne 2015 , 2043
Jeff Burton 2000 , 2038
Junior 2003, 2034
Martin 2000, 2034
Johnson 2012 , 2017
Kyle Busch 2003 , 2009
Actual points standings:
Harvick 5230
Hamlin 5195
Kenseth 5189
Gordon 5180
Burton 5166
Martin 5155
Junior 5149
Kahne 5120
Johnson 5091
Ky. Busch 5084
2007:
Clint Bowyer got his first career win (no penalty!) and Chasers finished in the top seven spots.
What if? points standings:
Johnson 2018 , 2056
Gordon 2012 , 2054
Stewart 2009, 2051
Bowyer 2000 , 2047
Ky. Busch 2003, 2044
Martin Truex 2003, 2042
Kenseth 2003, 2040
Edwards 2006 , 2038
Hamlin 2003, 2032
Harvick 2003 , 2030
Burton 2003 , 2029
Ku. Busch 2003 , 2022
Actual points standings:
Johnson 5210
Gordon 5210
Stewart 5200
Bowyer 5195
Busch 5175
Truex, Jr. 5170
Kenseth 5156
Edwards 5147
Hamlin 5128
Harvick 5122
Burton 5119
Busch 5108
2008:
Biffle won, 10 Chasers were in the top 14, and Kenseth and Kyle Busch suffered. However, Busch's eight wins helped him. For now.
What if? points standings:
Edwards 2018 , 2060
Johnson 2012 , 2055
Biffle 2000 , 2046
Burton 2003 , 2043
Junior 2003 , 2043
Hamlin 2003 , 2038
Stewart 2000 , 2037
Bowyer 2003 , 2035
Ky. Busch 2024 , 2035
Harvick 2000 , 2034
Gordon 2000 , 2030
Kenseth 2000 , 2004
Actual points standings:
Edwards 5220
Johnson 5220
Biffle 5190
Burton 5170
Junior 5170
Hamlin 5148
Stewart 5147
Ky. Busch 5146
Bowyer 5137
Harvick 5134
Gordon 5121
Kenseth 5043
2009:
All of the Chase drivers finished in the top 17 except Kasey Kahne, who suffered an engine failure.
What if? points standings:
Martin 2012, 2058
Johnson 2009, 2050
Hamlin 2006, 2049
Ku. Busch 2003, 2042
Juan Pablo Montoya 2000, 2042
Stewart 2009 , 2039
Newman 2000 , 2038
Brian Vickers 2003, 2036
Biffle 2000 , 2035
Gordon 2003, 2032
Edwards 2000, 2028
Kahne 2006, 2012
Actual points standings:
Martin 5230
Johnson 5195
Hamlin 5195
Montoya 5175
Ku. Busch 5165
Stewart 5156
Newman 5151
Vickers 5140
Biffle 5138
Gordon 5128
Edwards 5117
Kahne 5069
2010:
Clint Bowyer would get 47 points for his win, but because of his penalty, he only receives credit for 11 points.
What if? points standings:
Hamlin 2018 , 2060
Harvick 2009 , 2048
Ky. Busch 2009 , 2044
Gordon 2000, 2039
Ku. Busch 2006, 2037
Johnson 2015, 2034
Edwards 2000 , 2033
Biffle 2003, 2030
Burton 2000 , 2029
Stewart 2003, 2024
Kenseth 2000 , 2021
Bowyer 2000 , 2011
Actual points standings:
Hamlin 5230
Harvick 5185
Ky. Busch 5168
Gordon 5155
Ku. Busch 5144
Johnson 5138
Edwards 5135
Biffle 5122
Burton 5118
Stewart 5106
Kenseth 5094
Bowyer 5045
2011:
Brad Keselowski is the biggest beneficiary of the old points system, because he gets credit for his three wins. He'd be tied with Tony Stewart for third place.
What if? points standings:
Harvick 5040, 5215
Keselowski 5030, 5190
Stewart 5000, 5190
Edwards 5010, 5180
Junior 5000, 5170
Ku. Busch 5010 , 5165
Newman 5010, 5157
Johnson 5010, 5149
Ky. Busch 5040, 5142
Kenseth 5020 , 5125
Gordon 5030, 5121
Hamlin 5000 , 5070
Actual points standings:
Harvick 2054
Stewart 2047
Edwards 2044
Ku. Busch 2043
Junior 2041
Keselowski 2040
Newman 2040
Johnson 2038
Ky. Busch 2035
Kenseth 2030
Gordon 2029
Hamlin 2013