Tony Stewart found himself in an unfamiliar place after the Nextel Cup race this past Sunday ? on the outside looking in.
When Ryan Newman got loose and drifted up into Stewart early-on at New Hampshire International Speedway, it did more than just take Stewart out of the lead, it took him out of the Top 10 in points and out of a spot in the Chase for the Cup.
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Stewart is not alone. Kurt Busch, who won the first Chase for the Cup two years ago, has not been in the Top 10 in the point standings for the entire season.
In fact, if the Chase for the Cup started next week, only four of last year?s 10 Chase drivers would be racing for the championship this season.
It wouldn?t be the first time that a Nextel Cup superstar failed to make the Chase. Last season, both Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were out, and there is no guarantee that either driver will be in this season. Gordon is tied for 10th and final spot in the Chase, and Earnhardt Jr. has dropped from third to seventh, less than 100 points ahead of Stewart, who is in 11th.
Why are so many of the best drivers in the sport struggling to stay in the Top 10? Increased competition, says Jeff Burton, who is third in the standings. “Watch the race for 18th; watch the race for 20th,” Burton said. “It is so competitive. There are so many good teams ? everybody is running better.”
Better drivers, better equipment and more organized teams are making it harder for NASCAR?s perennial superstars to dominate the way they have in the past. And Burton says that only makes things more exciting for the fans. “That?s how it ought to be,” he said. “If it wasn?t like that, we wouldn?t have so many people watching.”
Things will only get more crowded next year, as Toyota will show up on the scene with as many as seven new teams, several of which will be competitive enough to make the Chase. And that increases the chance that another Nextel Cup superstar will be left on the sidelines in the final 10 races.
NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France, who came up with the concept of the Chase two years ago, said a few weeks back that he plans on making changes to the format for next season. Nobody is sure what France has in mind, but if former champions like Stewart and Gordon continue to miss NASCAR?s version of the playoffs, expect that France will make sure the sport?s top drivers are consistently represented.
Get up to speed on the latest in NASCAR ? listen to Wilson?s Race Report every Monday and Friday at 5:39 p.m. on 93.1 WPOC.
