The only way he wins the championship is if no Penske or Gibbs cars make the final 4. Next year? Pencil him in. That’s the reality of the one race championship.
I liked Dale Jr’s idea of the last 3 races being the top 4 in points from the first 33 races racing for the title. That way no one can Mickey Mouse their way in and the worst case scenario is the 4th best driver of the year winning the title.