September 21, 2009
By Matthew Pizzolato
Matthew Pizzolato
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As the 2009 Chase for the Championship officially begins, many commentators and pundits would have people believe that two things are a known fact. The new double-file restart recently implemented in NASCAR will be the deciding factor in who wins the Chase; and Jimmie Johnson will run away with his fourth consecutive Championship.
If that’s the case, there would be no need for race fans to tune in every weekend. Of course, it’s a proven fact that Johnson always peaks during the Chase and has his best races. Johnson is always capable of winning a Championship, he’s proven it three times already, but there are eleven other drivers that are just as eager, if not more so, to win a Championship.
No one believed that Tony Stewart would have had the success he’s had in his first season at his newly formed Stewart-Haas Racing, but both he and his teammate, Ryan Newman, qualified for the Chase. Stewart has been the point leader for most of the season and would pretty much have the title wrapped up by now if it weren’t for the Chase format. However, the last few races have not been his best, leaving many fans wondering why his performances have fallen off.
Brain Vickers had to race his way into the Chase and has put together a string of nice finishes. His impressive drive to beat out Kyle Busch came down to the final laps last weekend at Richmond. If any driver is on a hot streak going into the Chase, it would be Vickers. He is the dark horse of the 2009 Chase.
There are also two more Hendrick drivers in the Chase besides Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin. No doubt Gordon is eager to win his fifth Championship, especially since he’s lost two under the Chase format, that he would have won had the points format not been changed. Mark Martin, who has finished second in the point standings four times, is having the best season that he’s enjoyed in a long time, having already won four races.
It goes without saying that the double file restart will have an effect on the outcome of the races during the Chase, but to say that it will definitely decide the Champion is completely unfounded, unless one possesses a crystal ball and can see the future.
The Shootout Style restart has added an element of excitement to NASCAR that has long been missing; some races had started to resemble parade laps with the leader so far out in front that no one could catch him. Yet, some drivers love the new restart rule because it’s an easy way to pick up spots on the track, but most hate it because there is an added risk of losing positions as drivers jockey for position, not to mention an elevated risk for wrecking.
Wrecks are always going to have an effect on the Championship regardless of what causes it, be it a blown tire, overaggressive driving, or just plain bad luck of being caught in someone else wreck.
“There's more opportunity to mess up, there's more opportunity of getting caught up in crashes. If there is a crash on a restart, it's going to be bigger and it's going to collect a lot more cars,” Brian Vickers said in a David Caraviello article on nascar.com. “There's going to be times when it's going to affect the outcome, but to say that it couldn't have happened in a single-file restart either would be difficult. The double-file restarts give you more opportunity to pass, but it also gives you more opportunity to wreck.”
It seems that Vickers has got the restarts figured out, and with the current hot streak that he’s on, the other eleven drivers should be wary of him. Sure, Jimmie Johnson would be the safe bet to win this year’s Championship, but a gambling man would put his money on Brian Vickers.
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