After Sunday's Freeway Insurance 500 at Phoenix Raceway, everything has changed in the battle for the Cup Series championship.
Kyle Larson's 49-point lead entering the weekend is now down to five after a blown tire relegated him to a 34th-place finish with no stage points. Denny Hamlin also suffered tire issues and fell from second to fourth, 31 markers back.
In the meantime, Tyler Reddick's sixth win of the season takes him from 114 points back to only 56. Despite being seventh in the standings, there's a conceivable chance he could leave Talladega Superspeedway as the points leader.
All in all, the Chase 2.0 is proving one thing. Deficits can be made up, and they can be made up through situations that are within the driver's control.
NASCAR's extra win bonus points and stage points are paying dividends in the back-and-better version of the Chase
We singlehandedly have Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 team to thank for the fact that the original Chase didn't turn into a mediocrity machine. Under that points system and format, it was begging to be a 10-race showcase of simply whoever could have the fewest problems.
Thankfully, the title was only really decided that way twice (Kurt Busch in 2004 and Brad Keselowski in 2012). And now with stage points and the extra 15 bonus points awarded to winners this year, you can't afford to merely race not to lose.
Larson is Exhibit A. Even after his DNF at Phoenix, he's still the points leader. Why? Because in the previous six races, he'd built up a cushion even after starting the Chase in a deep hole. Under the old format, a race like he had on Sunday would have been a backbreaker.
Then, there are drivers like Reddick, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Briscoe, who suddenly find themselves right back in the hunt after issues in previous weeks. All of them were more than a full race out of the lead at one point, but now are one win away from potentially taking control.
NASCAR's points system still has the fatal flaw of being too kind to mediocrity. The difference between second place without stage points and 18th place should not be the same as the difference between 18th and 34th. That's the type of math they teach six-year-olds who aren't ready to understand more complicated concepts.
But what we have seen during the Chase is that the cream can rise to the top much more easily than it could before. Where a late-season surge such as Jimmie Johnson's in 2004 may have fallen short, now consistent elite performance can overcome bad luck.
The points system still isn't perfect, but the winner's bonus points have proven to be a major step in the right direction. And they're setting the stage for NASCAR's most exciting championship battle in over a decade, one that has brought back the intrigue of watching the chess match materialize over the course of multiple months.
Credit must be given where it is due. NASCAR has hit it out of the park with this critical tweak to its points format.
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