NASCAR history without playoffs: 13 of 21 champions changed

Team Penske's Joey Logano clinched his third career NASCAR Cup Series championship by winning Sunday's season finale at Phoenix Raceway, despite the fact that he finished the 2024 season in only 11th place in total points. His average finish of 17.1 is also an all-time low for a Cup Series champion – by far.

But as we've discussed time and time again, the driver of the No. 22 Ford is indeed a legitimate champion. Don't hate the player; hate the game.

The "game", also known as the playoffs, has been around since 2004. The modern elimination format was introduced in 2014, and it doesn't appear to be going anywhere, even after the top three drivers in points all missed this year's Championship 4.

There have now been 21 seasons in which a 10-race playoff format has been utilized at NASCAR's top level.

Only eight times has the champion been who the champion would have been without the playoffs, if we assume that all other things remain equal (and that the points system used at the time would have been used for the entire 36-race season).

Tony Stewart's 2005 title, Jimmie Johnson's 2006, 2010, and 2013 titles, Brad Keselowski's 2012 title, Martin Truex Jr.'s 2017 title, Kyle Busch's 2019 title, and Kyle Larson's 2021 title were all won via the playoffs, and they all would have been won in a season-long points format as well.

All other championships from 2004 to 2024 would have been won by somebody different. Here is a list of the actual champions from 2004 to 2024.

2004 - Kurt Busch

2005 - Tony Stewart

2006 - Jimmie Johnson

2007 - Jimmie Johnson

2008 - Jimmie Johnson

2009 - Jimmie Johnson

2010 - Jimmie Johnson

2011 - Tony Stewart

2012 - Brad Keselowski

2013 - Jimmie Johnson

2014 - Kevin Harvick

2015 - Kyle Busch

2016 - Jimmie Johnson

2017 - Martin Truex Jr.

2018 - Joey Logano

2019 - Kyle Busch

2020 - Chase Elliott

2021 - Kyle Larson

2022 - Joey Logano

2023 - Ryan Blaney

2024 - Joey Logano

Here is a list of the would-be points champions from the same years.

2004 - Jeff Gordon

2005 - Tony Stewart

2006 - Jimmie Johnson

2007 - Jeff Gordon

2008 - Carl Edwards

2009 - Jimmie Johnson

2010 - Kevin Harvick

2011 - Carl Edwards

2012 - Brad Keselowski

2013 - Jimmie Johnson

2014 - Jeff Gordon

2015 - Kevin Harvick

2016 - Kevin Harvick

2017 - Martin Truex Jr.

2018 - Kyle Busch

2019 - Kyle Busch

2020 - Kevin Harvick

2021 - Kyle Larson

2022 - Chase Elliott

2023 - William Byron

2024 - Kyle Larson

There are a few key differences to note. Jeff Gordon would be a seven-time champion instead of a four-time champion, and Jimmie Johnson would be a three-time champion instead of a seven-time champion.

Kevin Harvick would be a four-time champion instead of a one-time champion, and Kyle Larson would be a two-time champion instead of a one-time champion. Tony Stewart would be a two-time champion instead of a three-time champion.

Chase Elliott would still be a champion, but his title would have come two years later. Kyle Busch would still be a two-time champion, but his first title would have come three years later.

Carl Edwards would be a two-time champion, and William Byron would be a champion as well. However, neither driver has ever been crowned champion.

Finally, three drivers who won championships would not have done so at all. Kurt Busch won the 2004 title, Ryan Blaney won the 2023 title, and Logano won the titles in 2018, 2022, and 2024. But none of these three drivers have ever led the series in total points scored, in these seasons or in any other seasons.

Will the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series champion and total points leader be one in the same for the first time since 2021? The season is scheduled to begin on Sunday, February 16 with the 67th annual Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.