While you aren’t seeing the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup teams, as a whole, qualify up front, you do see the majority of them up front during the race and then at the end. Obviously you are seeing the best teams there. It’s really not a huge surprise, because that’s why they are in the Chase.
If you go back and look at the record books, in the last 32 Chase races, which encompasses over three years of racing, Chase drivers have won all but two. How coincidental is it that those other two races were won by Jamie McMurray driving for two different teams. Those were Talladega last fall and then Saturday night at Charlotte.
At the end of the day, there is a long list of good race teams that aren’t in the Chase. The top of that list, in my opinion, is Jamie Mac’s team. If you stop and look at the 12 teams that are in the Chase, they seemingly have the best package across the board. They are the most consistent week in and week out. They seem to adapt to changes better and quicker. They seem to adapt to track condition changes over the course of a race. Also, for the most part, they seem to qualify well.
With that said, this year's Chase is still a little different than any we’ve ever had. I think that’s why we’ve had five different winners in the five Chase races so far. Just like our regular season this year, no one got on a hot streak and stayed there. Now Jimmie Johnson and his team are getting there. They’ve had four consecutive top-three finishes.
Those 12 teams are from the best organizations in the sport. They have the most resources to pull from. They have the most depth across the board. Earnhardt Ganassi is an organization that’s on the outside looking in. Think about it a second; Saturday night marked their fourth win of the season, yet they aren’t in the Chase. As I keep reminding you, there are teams in the Chase that still have no wins for the entire year.
Moreso today than probably any time in our sport, it clearly is not one person that you can point to and say he’s the difference maker. This truly is a team sport. Sure, it starts at the top with the driver and the crew chief. Then naturally you move down the pecking order to the car chief, the engine tuner and the pit crew.
To truly be competitive and to win races, plus close the deal, there simply isn’t one person on any team that can make it happen. It’s a full-blown package. It’s what the No. 48 team of Johnson has had for a number of years. Obviously they have had every component in place to win four consecutive championships -- and in five weeks, maybe their fifth.
