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SHOW #127 – We recap Richmond weekend, the top 12 Chase drivers, the chase begins at Louden, ask the question is Dale Earnhardt Jr. the NASCAR franchise, and more. Hosted by Kerry Murphey and Paul Northrop

LISTEN HERE (About 47 mins)

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READ: Dale Jr. explains poor performance at Richmond

ALSO THIS WEEK: Audio Interview – Brad Daugherty

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NOTE: Also HEARD on Stitcher Radio

CREDITS:
Hosts: Kerry Murphey & Paul Northrop
Production: Kerry Murphey
Music: Radium Sound
Voice Over: Thomas Moog

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DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO 88 AMP ENERGY/NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET, FINISHED 34TH:

“That was one of my worst performances, I believe. We were trying something new and it just didn’t work out. We’ll keep working at it. I don’t think it’s something we’re going to give up on. We ran a rear spring package we’ve never run before, front spindles we’ve never run before; just trying to find something to help us get better. Running like we’ve been running all year long ain’t good enough, so we figured we’d try to go in a different direction, and it was a bad choice tonight. We’re going testing on Monday, and we’ll do as much testing as we can do the rest of the year to figure out what’s wrong and to get a package that will work.”

LISTEN TO OUR PODCAST: Is Dale Earnhardt Jr. the NASCAR franchise?

Note: Mattias Ekstrom from Sweden, and German Touring Car ace has NEVER raced on an oval, and finished better than Dale Jr. at Richmond for Red Bull Racing

We will discuss this on tomorrow’s podcast, keep it locked on The Final Lap

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What Makes A Champion?

Historically, the recipe for a Chase champion consists of these two ingredients: wins and consistency.

Only once in the previous six Chases has the eventual champion failed to win at least once in the 10 races (Tony Stewart, 2005). Here’s a breakdown of the champions since 2004 and number of wins during the Chase:

2004: Kurt Busch, one win
2005: Tony Stewart, no wins
2006: Jimmie Johnson, one win
2007: Jimmie Johnson, four wins
2008: Jimmie Johnson, three wins
2009: Jimmie Johnson four wins

But you also need consistency. Only once in the previous six Chases has the eventual champion averaged a finish outside the top 10 (Jimmie Johnson, 2006, 10.8). In 2007, Jimmie Johnson averaged a Chase-record average finish of 5.0. The list:

2004: Kurt Busch, 8.9
2005: Tony Stewart, 8.7
2006: Jimmie Johnson, 10.8
2007: Jimmie Johnson, 5.0
2008: Jimmie Johnson, 5.7
2009: Jimmie Johnson, 6.8

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11 vs. 1: Who, If Anyone, Can Knock Off Johnson

Many drivers labeled this Chase field the most competitive since the format’s inception in 2004.

That’s a fair statement. After all, all 12 members have prior Chase experience, all have won multiple races in their career, and five have won at least one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.

But knocking off “Superman” won’t be easy. Statistically, it seems Johnson saves his best for the Chase. One stat that proves that: His 18 wins in the Chase are more than the second-, third- and fourth-most combined. Second and third in Chase wins are Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle, with six each. Tony Stewart is fourth with five victories.

Plus, no one knows playoff pressure better than Johnson. He’s the only driver to earn a berth in all seven Chases.