Here’s a take: I’m not a fan of the Playoffs.
While I get that NASCAR thought the Playoffs/Chase would provide those “Game 7 Moments” that every sport craves, I don’t find it necessary to have that concept in Motorsports. This isn’t a shot at Jimmie Johnson’s seven championships or anything, because those were absolutely earned. It’s a matter of a Playoff system not being necessary to begin with. Why bother being the best for the opening 26 races when it’s only the last 10 that matter?
Another issue with the Playoffs is that, after the first half of the Playoffs, the focus only goes to about eight drivers as opposed to the whole field. There have been many late-season rallies along with solid points battles a little back in the standings. Let’s look back at the 10 best seasons from drivers that didn’t make the Playoffs.
10. Jamie McMurray (2004)
Photo courtesy of Motorsport Images
We’re starting off strong with a forgotten run from the inaugural Chase for the Nextel Cup. Jamie McMurray’s sophomore season sure was a memorable one. Although he had 15 top-10s through the opening 26 races, he didn’t score a win, and was in the top-10 in points after just one race, after week three at Las Vegas. He came into Richmond within striking distance of Kasey Kahne and Mark Martin. While Kahne imploded and fell out of the Chase, McMurray was not the benefactor, as Kahne’s teammate Jeremy Mayfield went from 14th to ninth with a walk-off win. The miss didn’t slow down McMurray, who notably came close to winning Martinsville and Darlington. He finished with no wins, but 23 top-10s, a number any team would be happy with. He did have one season where he capitalized on these strong runs, but more on that later.
9. Greg Biffle (2006)
Photo courtesy of Crash.Net
After a breakout 2005 that saw six wins and a runner-up points finish, Greg Biffle was at or near the top of everyone’s list of Cup favorites heading into 2006. To Biffle’s credit, they had the speed early on, leading over 100 laps in four of the first 11 races. The issue is that those finishes were 42nd after blowing up at California, 16th at Atlanta, 15th at Phoenix, before winning at Darlington. Despite their inconsistency, Biffle found himself sitting in the Chase after race no. 19 at New Hampshire. Unfortunately for him, the next three finishes of 24-33-38 killed off any Chase hopes the no. 16 team had. A win in the finale at Homestead was nice; but with 993 laps led and a 13th place points finish, 2006 was a wasted opportunity for Biffle.
8. Kyle Larson (2014)
Photo courtesy of Business-Insider
Who remembers the 2014 Rookie Class? Austin Dillon was fresh off of Truck and Nationwide Series titles in 2011 and 2013 respectively, and he’s bringing back the no. 3 car for his Grandpa’s team. Meanwhile, there’s this kid in Juan Pablo Montoya’s old car named Kyle Larson. Oh yeah, isn’t that the kid who flew into the catch fence at Daytona last year? All of a sudden, that kid is nearly beating Kyle Busch at Auto Club. Larson’s regular season was solid, missing the Chase by 17 points. Once the Chase began, he was electrifying. We all remember that incredible late racing at Chicagoland, where he, Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick all battled their guts out for the win, with Keselowski winning and Gordon coming over and hugging Larson post-race. After that, Larson nearly won New Hampshire and Kansas, and made his impact on the sport then and there. While no wins were recorded, the groundwork was set for who Larson is today: possibly the best driver in NASCAR.
7. Joey Logano (2017)
Photo courtesy of Racing News
The most recent entry on this list, Joey Logano’s 2017 was just plain weird. He would’ve made the Playoffs, as he won the spring Richmond race. Unfortunately, the win was encumbered as he failed post-race inspection. But it’s no big deal, right? It’s Joey Logano, he’ll be fine. No, he was not. Logano and the no. 22 were uncharacteristically bad in 2017, leading just 17 laps the rest of the regular season. Between his down year and a lot of surprise winners (Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Austin Dillon and Ryan Newman among others) saw Logano sitting on the outside looking in after Richmond in the fall. The team ran more like themselves in the Playoffs. While not getting great finishes, they were at least leading laps and looking competitive. I’m sure Logano was content with the down 2017 with how 2018 ended up.
6. Brad Keselowski (2013)
Photo courtesy of Dallas Morning News
Whereas his teammate floundered and then won the Cup, Brad Keselowski was the opposite. The 2012 champion looked like he was in championship form, running 4-4-3-3 to start the year. The issue for Keselowski was that his momentum was constantly shifting between good and really bad. After sitting third after week no.8 at Kansas, he followed with three sub-30 finishes in the next four races. That was the constant battle the Blue Deuce faced. He rallied to 8th in points after Michigan with three races left. Keselowski, sitting winless just ahead of Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Loagno, who had won already, needed to be perfect to make the Chase. He wasn’t, running sub-30 at Bristol at Atlanta. He led the most laps at Richmond, the only time he did so in 2013, but fell to 15th and wouldn’t have a chance to repeat. Keselowski salvaged a win at the fall Charlotte race, and was generally strong in the Chase. 9 top-fives and a 14.9 average finish are usually Chase-caliber stats; but not in 2013.
5. Kyle Busch (2012)
Photo courtesy of Jayski
2012 was just not a great year for Kyle Busch. Whether some wind was taken out of his sails from the Ron Hornaday Jr. incident or what, Busch only garnered one win across the three national series. That win came at the spring Richmond race, where he bested Dale Jr. for his fourth straight win in the event. From there, he was consistently inconsistent, as a pair of blown engines at Dover and Pocono kickstarted a lackluster summer. He rallied a bit around August, sitting as the second wild card heading into the regular season finale. Another driver that really turned their season around was Jeff Gordon. The Pocono winner was not going to be denied, running second behind Clint Bowyer as Busch’s 16th place wasn’t enough to make the Chase. The miss may have been a good thing in hindsight because holy cow, that team was on it. In 10 races, the no. 18 was in front for 864 laps. On top of that, his last four finishes of 2-3-3-4 set the stage for what was a great rebound in 2013.
4. Jeff Gordon (2005)
Photo courtesy of Fox Sports
Jeff Gordon, simply put, sucked in 2005. He had nine(!) DNFs, eight of which were wrecks. He only had eight top-fives and was as low as 17th in points after Charlotte. So why is he even on this list? He still won four races, including the Daytona 500. That’s how good this team was. Even in his worst season, Gordon was still tied for third in wins. This season really is an anomaly. Gordon’s season can be encapsulated by the first 13 races. After race no. 10 at Darlington, Gordon had three wins and was sitting second in points. He then proceeded to wreck out of the next three races, falling to 11th in points. He then got back up to ninth a week after, before a 32nd next week at Michigan brought him out of the Chase for good. This season was a blessing in disguise, as longtime Crew Chief Robbie Loomis (no relation) was fired after the regular season, and replaced by Steve Letarte, who would go on to have a great run with Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
3. Jamie McMurray (2010)
Photo courtesy of Fox Sports
Hey, he’s back! Jamie McMurray’s Roush tenure from 2006-2009 was bitterly disappointing. After showing great potential at Chip Ganassi Racing from 2003-2005, people expected McMurray to break out into a winning driver and championship threat. It didn’t really work out, as the Missouri native won two plate races in a four year run that saw no better than a 16th place points finish. When Roush had to downsize in 2010, McMurray was left out of a ride, ultimately going back to the newly named Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing. The underdog team then proceeded to the unthinkable and win the Daytona 500 in their first race back together. This was a fantastic year for Chip Ganassi, as he won the Daytona 500, the Indy 500 with Dario Franchitti and then went back to Indianapolis and won the Brickyard 400 with McMurray. The team was competitive as ever, and despite missing the Chase, they grabbed another win at the fall Charlotte race. Nine top-fives was the most McMurray had seen since 2004. He couldn’t have asked for much more in 2010.
2. Kyle Busch (2009)
Photo courtesy of The Spokesman-Review
Kyle Busch’s 2009 was very similar to Jeff Gordon’s 2005. Both won three of the first 10 races, including a Richmond race in which Busch became the second driver to win on their birthday. Whereas they both fell off in the middle of the season, Busch’s pitfall wasn’t nearly as dramatic. What hurt him was a two-race stretch at Chicagoland and Indianapolis, where a blown engine and cut tire relegated him to 33rd and 38th place finishes that saw him slip to 14th in points. This was a very competitive Race to the Chase, as a win at Bristol and top-five at the cutoff race at Richmond weren’t enough, as Busch was beat out by just eight points by Brian Vickers. What’s interesting is that, if there was no Chase, Busch would’ve finished ninth in points. Interestingly enough, the one entry better than this season also should’ve finished much higher in points.
1.Tony Stewart (2006)
Photo courtesy of Motorsports Images
Make no mistake about it: Tony Stewart’s 2006 is the best non-Chase season anyone has ever had. Had there been no Chase, Tony Stewart would’ve been fourth in the final standings. Had he been the 10th seed in the Chase, he’d finish second, 46 points behind Jimmie Johnson. So what went wrong? Well, Stewart went through a lot of struggles in 2006, what with on-track scuffles with Matt Kenseth and Carl Edwards among others, as well as a shoulder injury in May that saw him get relieved at Dover by Ricky Rudd. Back in 2006, the Chase was still 10 drivers, making for a very tight Race to the Chase. Stewart, sitting at two wins on the year, was in heading into Richmond, but was bounced after an 18th place run, as his mentee Kasey Kahne, who led the series with six wins, took his place. Despite this, Stewart went on a tear, winning Kansas while running out of gas, before torching the field at Atlanta and Texas. Here’s a stat: Stewart is the only non-Chase driver to lead the series in laps led, clocking in at 1,360. 2006 really is a year to wonder what could've been for Smoke.
What do you think is the best non-Chase season in history? Did I leave anyone out? Feel free to leave a comment or tweet me at @HBLoomis. Let’s talk racing!
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