NASCAR: 3 crazy scenarios that totally expose the playoff format
There are certain far-fetched but possible scenarios in NASCAR that would totally expose the modern-day playoff format, if they were to come to fruition.
By Asher Fair
2. Winning 10 races, never finishing lower than 2nd
A driver could win 10 races and finish the season without finishing a race lower than second place (average finish of 1.72) and not even qualify for the playoffs.
If that driver finishes in second place in each of the 26 regular season races, he could fail to qualify for the playoffs if there are at least 16 different race winners. He could then win all 10 playoff races, just to finish in 17th place in the championship standings.
Yes, he could lock himself into the playoffs by being the highest scoring driver throughout the season, as finishing atop the standings means a driver doesn't need to win to lock in.
But even all second place finishes may not be enough; they are worth 35 points.
Considering the fact that there are a maximum of 20 stage points on the table for each driver in each race (30 in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway), there is no guarantee that 26 second place finishes would be enough, as that comes out to 910 points.
Drivers have scored more than 1,000 points in the regular season before with average finishes far worse than second place, so that could potentially only be enough for a 17th place finish in the championship standings.