What if There Were no 7-Time Champions?

Mile501
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What if There Were no 7-Time Champions? Oct 12, 2018 8:21:11 GMT -5 AndersonWhitt likes this

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Post by Mile501 on Oct 12, 2018 8:21:11 GMT -5

At Michigan on June 17, 1979, the 16th race of the season, Darrell Waltrip's engine failed and he crashed with less than 3 laps to go. If that hadn't happened, Richard Petty would have lost the championship fight with Darrell Waltrip and would only have 6 championships.

We all know about Mark Martin's penalty in 1990 that ended up being smaller than the margin by which he lost the championship to Dale Earnhardt. But I'd like to look at a different season instead, since that one is so well-known.

At Darlington on April 13, 1980, the 7th race of the season, Cale Yarborough's engine failed with less than 7 laps to go. If that hadn't happened, Dale Earnhardt would have lost the championship fight with Cale Yarborough and would only have 6 championships.

At Homestead on November 20, 2016, Dylan Lupton crashed while driving for a backmarker team with about 15 laps to go and NASCAR threw the caution (though they didn't necessarily need to). On the subsequent restart, likely champion Carl Edwards crashed, ultimately handing the title to Jimmie Johnson. Had Lupton's incident not happened and Edwards not crashed, Johnson would most likely only have 6 championships.

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I recognize the "what-if" game can be played in a variety of different ways. Certainly, each of the situations mentioned above could be cancelled out by another "what-if." The point I simply wanted to make is that it is interesting to see how, for each of these 7-time champions, one slightly different outcome for some other driver could have taken them out of this elite group.

- Kevin / Mile501

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. - 1 Corinthians 10:31

Fan of the Wood Brothers and drivers who (appear to be) fellow Christians, such as Blake Koch, Trevor Bayne, David Ragan, Michael McDowell, Jamie McMurray, and Morgan Shepherd.

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diburritomelon9
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Posts: 22

What if There Were no 7-Time Champions? Oct 12, 2018 13:41:01 GMT -5 via mobile

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Post by diburritomelon9 on Oct 12, 2018 13:41:01 GMT -5

Oct 12, 2018 8:21:11 GMT -5 Mile501 said:

At Michigan on June 17, 1979, the 16th race of the season, Darrell Waltrip's engine failed and he crashed with less than 3 laps to go. If that hadn't happened, Richard Petty would have lost the championship fight with Darrell Waltrip and would only have 6 championships.

We all know about Mark Martin's penalty in 1990 that ended up being smaller than the margin by which he lost the championship to Dale Earnhardt. But I'd like to look at a different season instead, since that one is so well-known.

At Darlington on April 13, 1980, the 7th race of the season, Cale Yarborough's engine failed with less than 7 laps to go. If that hadn't happened, Dale Earnhardt would have lost the championship fight with Cale Yarborough and would only have 6 championships.

At Homestead on November 20, 2016, Dylan Lupton crashed while driving for a backmarker team with about 15 laps to go and NASCAR threw the caution (though they didn't necessarily need to). On the subsequent restart, likely champion Carl Edwards crashed, ultimately handing the title to Jimmie Johnson. Had Lupton's incident not happened and Edwards not crashed, Johnson would most likely only have 6 championships.

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I recognize the "what-if" game can be played in a variety of different ways. Certainly, each of the situations mentioned above could be cancelled out by another "what-if." The point I simply wanted to make is that it is interesting to see how, for each of these 7-time champions, one slightly different outcome for some other driver could have taken them out of this elite group.

Some more notable what ifs-
-Gordon doesn't DNF one of the first 2 races of 1996.
-Martin isn't collected in a last lap crash at the Pepsi 400.
-Johnson doesn't crash out at Kansas 2004
-Hamlin doesn't choke the final race in 2010.
-Edwards finishes 1st in either the 2011 Daytona or southern 500 instead of 2nd.
--Johnson's tire doesn't blow out at Phoenix 2012.
-Gordon doesn't fall 1 lap down at Texas 2014.

AndersonWhitt
Junior Member

Filling out my status. (Photo by Ted Van Pelt.)

Posts: 79

What if There Were no 7-Time Champions? Oct 12, 2018 16:51:03 GMT -5 diburritomelon9 likes this

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Post by AndersonWhitt on Oct 12, 2018 16:51:03 GMT -5

Oct 12, 2018 13:41:01 GMT -5 diburritomelon9 said:

Oct 12, 2018 8:21:11 GMT -5 Mile501 said:

At Michigan on June 17, 1979, the 16th race of the season, Darrell Waltrip's engine failed and he crashed with less than 3 laps to go. If that hadn't happened, Richard Petty would have lost the championship fight with Darrell Waltrip and would only have 6 championships.

We all know about Mark Martin's penalty in 1990 that ended up being smaller than the margin by which he lost the championship to Dale Earnhardt. But I'd like to look at a different season instead, since that one is so well-known.

At Darlington on April 13, 1980, the 7th race of the season, Cale Yarborough's engine failed with less than 7 laps to go. If that hadn't happened, Dale Earnhardt would have lost the championship fight with Cale Yarborough and would only have 6 championships.

At Homestead on November 20, 2016, Dylan Lupton crashed while driving for a backmarker team with about 15 laps to go and NASCAR threw the caution (though they didn't necessarily need to). On the subsequent restart, likely champion Carl Edwards crashed, ultimately handing the title to Jimmie Johnson. Had Lupton's incident not happened and Edwards not crashed, Johnson would most likely only have 6 championships.

----------

I recognize the "what-if" game can be played in a variety of different ways. Certainly, each of the situations mentioned above could be cancelled out by another "what-if." The point I simply wanted to make is that it is interesting to see how, for each of these 7-time champions, one slightly different outcome for some other driver could have taken them out of this elite group.

Some more notable what ifs-
-Gordon doesn't DNF one of the first 2 races of 1996.
-Martin isn't collected in a last lap crash at the Pepsi 400.
-Johnson doesn't crash out at Kansas 2004
-Hamlin doesn't choke the final race in 2010.
-Edwards finishes 1st in either the 2011 Daytona or southern 500 instead of 2nd.
--Johnson's tire doesn't blow out at Phoenix 2012.
-Gordon doesn't fall 1 lap down at Texas 2014.

Here are a few others:

- Dale Jarrett doesn't get black-flagged at Watkins Glen in 1997. (Jarrett had a tire rub, but NASCAR thought it was an oil leak.)
- Bobby Allison gets a ride for the spring race at Richmond in 1970. (If he'd finished reasonably well, he would have had enough points to beat Bobby Isaac for the championship.)
- Richard Petty doesn't get injured in 1970.
- Lee Petty doesn't run the non-NASCAR race that got his points taken away in 1950.
- Herb Thomas doesn't get injured in 1956, or Carl Kiekhaefer doesn't get more races added to the schedule.

As for the Pepsi 400 wreck in 1997, that happened when NASCAR restarted the race with one lap to go.

Here's how I'd expect the rankings of champions to look if all of these what-ifs came true:

1. Jimmie Johnson: 8 championships. (2004 and 2012 added, 2016 removed.)
2. Richard Petty: 6-7 championships. (1979 removed, 1970 possibly added.)
3. Dale Earnhardt: 5 championships. (1980 and 1990 removed.)
4. Jeff Gordon: 4-5 championships. (1996 and possibly 2014 added, 1997 removed.)
T-5. Cale Yarborough: 4 championships. (1980 added.)
T-5. Darrell Waltrip: 4 championships. (1979 added.)
T-5. Lee Petty: 4 championships. (1950 added.)
T-8. David Pearson: 3 championships.
T-8. Herb Thomas: 3 championships. (1956 added.)
T-10. Tony Stewart: 2 championships. (2011 removed.)
T-10. Tim Flock: 2 championships.
T-10. Ned Jarrett: 2 championships.
T-10. Joe Weatherly: 2 championships.
T-10. Carl Edwards: 2 championships. (2011 and 2016 added.)
T-10. Dale Jarrett: 1-2 championships. (1997 possibly added.)
T-10. Bobby Allison: 1-2 championships. (1970 possibly added.)
T-10. Mark Martin: 1-2 championships. (1990 and possibly 1997 added.)
T-18. Buck Baker: 1 championship. (1956 removed.)
T-18. Terry Labonte: 1 championship. (1996 removed.)
T-18. Red Byron, Rex White, Benny Parsons, Bill Elliott, Rusty Wallace, Alan Kulwicki, Bobby Labonte, Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr.: 1 championship each.
T-18. Denny Hamlin: 1 championship. (2010 possibly added.)
22. Kevin Harvick: 0-2 championships. (2010 possibly added, 2014 possibly removed.)

Bill Rexford, Bobby Isaac, and Kurt Busch would have no championships.

NASCAR fan since late 2003. Reading The Spotter's Stand and its predecessors since at least 2016, but never posted until mid-2018.

Some of my favorite drivers are Jordan Anderson (assuming he hasn't done anything illegal) and Cole Whitt (hence my screen name), along with Michael McDowell, Brett Moffitt, Landon Cassill, Matt DiBenedetto, Ross Chastain, Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Aric Almirola, and Blake Koch.

What if There Were no 7-Time Champions?

Post by Mile501 on Oct 12, 2018 8:21:11 GMT -5

Post by diburritomelon9 on Oct 12, 2018 13:41:01 GMT -5

Post by AndersonWhitt on Oct 12, 2018 16:51:03 GMT -5

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