NASCAR What If: The 2004 Chase Under 2014 Rules
2004 would have been tough for Gordon regardless
Round Three Elimination
During the third round of the chase Jimmie Johnson won twice and Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the other race which punched both of their tickets into the final-four. The win was big for Earnhardt Jr. because without the win he would not have made the final-four based on points. The final-four are arranged based on how they stood in points after the third round even though points reset before the final race.
- Jimmie Johnson
- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
- Mark Martin
- Jamie McMurray
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- 5th – Jeff Gordon (-3)
- 6th – Kurt Busch (-21)
- 7th – Elliott Sadler (-61)
- 8th – Matt Kenseth (-61)
Gordon would have suffered heartbreak here as he was only three points behind 4th place McMurray and was actually two points better than Dale Earnhardt Jr. who made it because of his win during the round. McMurray would have been the surprise of the year making it to the final-four having not won a race all season. Could you imagine McMurray having won this whole thing and not had a win after they changed this all because of what Kenseth did the year before? Also the actually champion in 2004 (Kurt Busch) did not make the final-four.