Take 5: Five Takeaways From Martinsville Speedway

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Take 2 – Consistency is the path to Miami for some drivers.

Winning has been important this season but it has not been everything as NASCAR might want you to believe. Winning has had its shining moments though. Wins got drivers like AJ Allmendinger and Aric Almirola into the chase. Critical wins also helped out Kasey Kahne late in the season to make the chase and Brad Keselowski to advance into the third round of the chase. Then you have drivers like Matt Kenseth and Ryan Newman who haven’t won at all this season but have put themselves in a great position to make the championship race. Kenseth and Newman have been the definition of consistent for the majority of the season and it has paid off for both of them. An added bonus for them came on Sunday when Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Martinsville. As a result of the Earnhardt Jr. win there will be at least two spots in the championship race that will be given to drivers based on points. This obviously means that Kenseth and Newman can make the final race without having to win. In a season where winning was supposed to reign supreme, these two drivers are on the verge of taking a championship without winning at all; something that hasn’t been done since Kenseth did it in 2003.