Take yourself back to 2013...

[Revman]

But Harvick and Kyle to me will never be Nascar Year Champions. I can say this because without the gift from Nascar, Kyle with the best team and support has never come close to a championship. At least Denny came close.

I won't comment on the Kyle Championship because after the first syllable, I will not be heard. However, if you think that Harvick did not deserve the 2014 Championship you are blinded by your own bias in regard to the points structure. To suggest that he wasn't the best all year is typical NASCAR fan stuff--I hate something, and to prove a point, I will hate everything.

 

[Revman]

Fwiw, I think Kyle's title was legitimate. But I think the overwhelming majority of fans will never accept it, and I understand why.
Every time it came down to Busch and Harvick, Busch won. Every time.
Kyle Busch is a driving god, plain and simple.

Well said. I understand it too. Screw the Championship. Take the patch. What he did was the stuff of legends IMO.

I don't think it will ever be considered one of the greatest sports stories. I defend Kyle a lot on here, think he's the most talented driver in history, but that will be seen by the majority of NASCAR fans as the most illegitinate championship in history.

Balanced perspective, but I contend that if Junior had done it, it would be one of the most celebrated championships in history.

 

[HoneyBadger]

Well said. I understand it too. Screw the Championship. Take the patch. What he did was the stuff of legends IMO.

I don't think Kyle Busch needed a championship for that to be a great comeback story.

Balanced perspective, but I contend that if Junior had done it, it would be one of the most celebrated championships in history.

I don't know. Not many people liked the points system before that, and Kyle's championship confirmed everything a lot of people hated about it.
The exemption doesn't sit well with me. I said it then and I'll say it now. I think drivers should be given the option to miss up to two races and still be playoff eligible. It makes room for the event that a driver gets a concussion or something and has to miss a couple races, while not leaving "exemptions" to NASCAR's discretion. It also rewards guys who run strong in the regular season. If they have mathematically clinched a playoff spot before August, they deserve to be rewarded for it.
I also think the "regular season champion" and the #1 seed (Driver with most wins) should each get a "first round bye" in the playoff.

I am not a Kyle hater. In fact I love watching him come in second or third which is natural because I am a Team Penske Fan.
What I don't like is for Nascar to change the format that determines a yearly championship.
I also cringe when I here JJ called a 7 time Monster Champion. I would really like to see the distinction emphasized.
However I believe the current Champions should all be distinguished as the "Lottery Champions" because under any other system we have known they would not be champions.
I don't care what points sytsem was used in different eras, the Champions were all Nascar Year long Points Champions even if they did it Allen's way on the last lap.
But Harvick and Kyle to me will never be Nascar Year Champions. I can say this because without the gift from Nascar, Kyle with the best team and support has never come close to a championship. At least Denny came close.

You realize without these playoffs, Harvick would have multiple championships, right? For sure 2010 and 2015, possibly 2016 as well.
And I hope Kyle wins another championship because he doesn't deserve to go down in history with an asterisk next to his two biggest career accomplishments (2015 championship and the inevitable 201 wins). Dude is one of the top-five greatest racers of all time and he deserves the stat line to go with it.
He became even better after that accident too. I think it put a lot of things in perspective for him and changed his outlook on things.

 

[Team Penske]

I won't comment on the Kyle Championship because after the first syllable, I will not be heard. However, if you think that Harvick did not deserve the 2014 Championship you are blinded by your own bias in regard to the points structure. To suggest that he wasn't the best all year is typical NASCAR fan stuff--I hate something, and to prove a point, I will hate everything.

I don't hate Harvick..................................that much.
I despise the system they have in place to pick a champion and I DON"T think these lottery champions should be compared to past champions. JJ won 6 championships + a lottery championship. In my books that doesn't make his 7 equal to DE or that other guy.

 

[dpkimmel2001]

I don't hate Harvick..................................that much.
I despise the system they have in place to pick a champion and I DON"T think these lottery champions should be compared to past champions. JJ won 6 championships + a lottery championship. In my books that doesn't make his 7 equal to DE or that other guy.

Heck, the first six weren't even remotely close to the previous format. But..... 7's 7. That's the only number that people will see and really, what does it even matter at this point. We're 14+ years into this ridiculous ride of the Chase, err Playoffs.

As much as I'd love to see the series go back to crowning the best over the entire season's work, it'll never go back. Simply have to accept that this is what we're stuck with. NASCAR will never admit that this has proven to be a failed format when it comes to retaining/attracting fans. They've made their decision and they're sticking with it. At least until the next time it changes. The decision to restructure our points system was made at the peak of NASCAR's popularity forgetting the old adage, If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We've been fixing it ever since.

 

[Jorge De Guzman]

Heck, the first six weren't even remotely close to the previous format. But..... 7's 7. That's the only number that people will see and really, what does it even matter at this point. We're 14+ years into this ridiculous ride of the Chase, err Playoffs.

As much as I'd love to see the series go back to crowning the best over the entire season's work, it'll never go back. Simply have to accept that this is what we're stuck with. NASCAR will never admit that this has proven to be a failed format when it comes to retaining/attracting fans. They've made their decision and they're sticking with it. At least until the next time it changes. The decision to restructure our points system was made at the peak of NASCAR's popularity forgetting the old adage, If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We've been fixing it ever since.

I doubt in my lifetime (I’m 33) that I’ll ever see a 7 time champion in NASCAR again, the last race crowning a Champion is too random. There’s going to be Years a guy wins it that...may not “deserve” it

 

[Revman]

I don't hate Harvick..................................that much.
I despise the system they have in place to pick a champion and I DON"T think these lottery champions should be compared to past champions. JJ won 6 championships + a lottery championship. In my books that doesn't make his 7 equal to DE or that other guy.

I pretty much sit back and ask the fundamental question, "Is the Champion representative of the best driver of the year?" In every case, the answer is "Yes," IMO. Until AJ Allmendinger wins a title, who the hell cares? For that matter, I don't really give two ****s about the Championship. Each week is a championship to me. The format is just another target around NASCAR's neck in the social media era where posters are convinced that their opinions matter.

 

[Charlie Spencer]

JJ won 6 championships + a lottery championship. In my books that doesn't make his 7 equal to DE or that other guy.

That other guy won four of his seven under a different format from the other three, but you're not putting asterisks after any of them.