The NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship is the pinnacle of American motorsports. What does it really take to win the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup title? Here are the step-by-step instructions that the 2004 and 2005 NASCAR Champions Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart used on their way to the title.
Difficulty: Hard
Time Required: 36 weekly races (plus significant preparation time)
Here's How:
- Run well enough in the first 26 races of the season to be in the top twelve in points. The top twelve after 26 races qualify for the final ten race playoff known as "The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup." In 2004 Ryan Newman had an average finish of 15.8 over the first 26 races to qualify tenth for The Chase. In 2005 Newman again qualified tenth, this time with a 16.7 average finish.
From 2004 through 2006 only ten drivers qualified for The Chase. As of the start of the 2007 season NASCAR changed The Chase to include twelve drivers instead of ten.
- Be patient early in the season. It is much more important to avoid the bad finishes than it is to gamble to try to score a win. A 40th place finish hurts you more than a win helps. Remember, you're only looking for consistent top tens in order to make The Chase. The NASCAR point system rewards consistency over wins.
- Avoid DNFs. In 2004 Kurt Busch had only three DNFs and completed 95% of all laps run during the entire season. In 2005 Tony Stewart only failed to finish the race once and completed an astounding 99.4% of all laps raced in the season.
- Re-evaluate your points standings in early August. If you are solidly in the top twelve then keep being conservative. If you find yourself outside of the top twelve August is the time to turn up the aggressiveness. Try to lead more laps and score some big wins to maximize your points in each remaining race.
- After race #26 the top twelve drivers' points are reset so that all drivers have 5,000 points plus a ten point bonus for each of the first 26 races that they won.
- Start The Chase off right. Now that you've made The Chase come out of the gate fast. In 2004 Kurt Busch won the race and lead the most laps in Loudon to start The Chase off right. In 2005 Tony Stewart qualified on the pole and lead the most laps en route to his second place finish in the race. Both drivers went on to win the Cup.
- Consistent top tens over the last ten races are critical. Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart had average finishes of 8.9 and 8.7 respectively in The Chase races during their Championship-winning seasons.
- Score bonus points over the last ten races. Busch managed to lead nine of the ten Chase races in 2004 plus he lead the most laps twice for a total of 55 bonus points. Stewart lead seven of ten and lead the most laps three times for a total of 50 bonus points in The Chase.
- When it comes down to the last races, race your competition and forget about everyone else. 2004 saw a tight points battle where Kurt Busch had to stay very close to Jimmie Johnson in order to win it all. Johnson finished a strong second, but Busch was able to finish fifth to close out the title. In 2005 Tony Stewart had a larger lead in the points going into Homestead and only needed a top 20 after Jimmie Johnson had trouble. Tony finished 15th to secure the title.
- Celebrate! You've just won the most prestigious title in American motorsports.
Tips:
- Don't forget the bonus points! Drivers score five points for every race in which they lead a lap and five additional bonus points for any race in which they lead the most laps. Given that Kurt Busch won the 2004 Championship by just 8 points over Jimmie Johnson bonus points can be critical.
- Watch out for the restrictor plate races. Daytona and Talladega feature racing with the horsepower-sapping restrictor plates. These cause the cars to be tightly bunched all day long and big wrecks are a frequent occurance. Forget about winning, just try to survive these.
- Get your cars working on the mid-length speedways (those that range from a mile to a mile and a half) eight of the final ten races are on mid-length race tracks.
What You Need:
- Driving skill
- Lots of luck to avoid part failures and wrecks
- Smart crew chief to make the right calls
- Fast pit crew that can put on four tires and add fuel in 12.5 seconds
- Good sponsor to pay millions of dollars for your expenses
- Teammates - no single-car team has ever qualified for The Chase
