November 24, 2011
By Nicholas Schwartz
The theatrics in Homestead this past weekend -- from the intermittent rain, to Darian Grubb’s bewildering strategy calls -- were befitting of the roller-coaster ride the was the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup.
At the end of the day, Tony Stewart snatched the Sprint Cup from Carl Edwards grasp and won his third championship, catapulting his already sterling reputation into all-time great territory.
Stewart celebrated in victory lane into the wee hours of the morning, snapping photos he’ll cherish forever. But yet again in his storied career, one very-worthy man was left out. As Carl Edwards returns home to recharge and make another run at his first title in 2012, he’ll have to wonder how in the world he wasn’t crowned the champion in Miami on Sunday, with the remarkable season that he’s had. I’m not sure anyone has the answers for him.
Edwards, who only eked out one race victory all year long, was trying to win the title the way Matt Kenseth had in 2003 -- with piles of top-10s and very few bad finished. It’s clear now, however, that under NASCAR’s updated points system, it will be nearly impossible to take home a title with only one victory to your name. Carl Edwards put together statistically the best one-win season any driver has ever had in the history of NASCAR -- and it wasn’t enough.
At the end, 10,650 laps and over 14,000 miles after taking the first green flag of the season in Florida, Edwards and Stewart finished tied on points, with 2,403 apiece (if you disregard the fact that Edwards had a sizeable lead on Stewart before the points were reset after Richmond). The Cup tiebreaker, which gives the advantage to the driver with the most race wins, meant Stewart was awarded the championship, and Edwards the first loser.
I’m not saying that Tony Stewart didn’t deserve to be the champion in 2011.
The turnaround he made in the Chase, when the pressure was at its highest and Stewart took a car that had looked mediocre all year long and drove it to victory lane five times in ten tries, is perhaps one of the best definitions of “clutch” you can find in all of sport.
Forget “Mr. November” Derek Jeter, Tom Brady and perhaps even Michael Jordan -- what Stewart accomplished over the final two months of the season defied all expectation and was perhaps the most prodigious sporting resurrection since Lance Armstrong took his first Tour de France.
There’s not a single expert out there who would have predicted Smoke to be the Champion after the Richmond race in September. Edwards simply met the perfect storm that was Stewart in the wrong year.
But while Smoke will garner all the headlines, Edwards’ accomplishments are just as impressive.
Though Stewart’s flurry of victories carried him to the Cup, Edwards was simply a model of consistency the entire year—from Daytona to Homestead -- but especially in the Chase. His 26 top-10 results eclipse the total of any champion since Dale Jarrett won with an astounding 29 in 1999. His average finish for the season -- 10.3 -- is lower than Jimmie Johnson’s average for four out of his five championship runs. Perhaps even more impressive, his average Chase finish in 2011, 4.9, is the lowest in NASCAR history.
I wouldn’t advocate for drivers tied on points to be crowned co-champions, but if ever there was a year where it seemed suitable, 2011 is the exception. Edwards put on his best face in the media room following the race and accepted defeat as graciously as possible, and nearly everyone in the garage -- including Stewart -- expects Edwards to snag a title eventually.
I, for one, certainly hope he does.
If you would like to learn more about Nicholas, please check out his web site at Sports By Schwartz. Nicholas is a Managing editor and sportswriter for The Duke Chronicle at Duke University.
The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.
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