Have you ever wondered who would be the NASCAR Cup Series champion if any of those scoring systems would have been used over last 50 years? Here is the list of all possible champions.
The first column is my favorite scoring system, which does not use any points. The driver with the largest number of wins wins the championship. Easy! Others columns are real-life scoring systems used between 1975-2003, 2004-2006, 2007-2010, 2011-2013, 2014-2015, 2017-until now. 2016 scoring system was very similar to 2014 system and all predicted champions would be the same as with 2014 scoring system.
NB! Point penalties by NASCAR have not been taken into account in these calculations. That's why Mark Martin is listed as 1990 champion here,
he lost the 1990 title only because of the 46 point penalty after RIR1 race.
The first column is my favorite scoring system, which does not use any points. The driver with the largest number of wins wins the championship. Easy! Others columns are real-life scoring systems used between 1975-2003, 2004-2006, 2007-2010, 2011-2013, 2014-2015, 2017-until now. 2016 scoring system was very similar to 2014 system and all predicted champions would be the same as with 2014 scoring system.
NB! Point penalties by NASCAR have not been taken into account in these calculations. That's why Mark Martin is listed as 1990 champion here,
he lost the 1990 title only because of the 46 point penalty after RIR1 race.
No playoffs | Single round of Chase | Four playoff rounds | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Most Wins | 1975 | 2004 | 2007 | 2011 | 2014 | 2017 |
1972   | B Allison | B Allison | B Allison | B Allison | B Allison | R Petty | R Petty |
1973   | D Pearson | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough |
1974   | R Petty | R Petty | R Petty | R Petty | R Petty | C Yarborough | C Yarborough |
1975   | R Petty | R Petty | R Petty | R Petty | R Petty | D Brooks | J Hylton |
1976   | D Pearson | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | D Pearson |
1977   | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | R Petty |
1978   | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | B Allison | B Allison |
1979   | D Waltrip | R Petty | R Petty | R Petty | R Petty | B Allison | B Allison |
1980   | C Yarborough | D Earnhardt | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough | C Yarborough |
1981   | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | B Allison | B Allison |
1982   | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | D Waltrip |
1983   | D Waltrip | B Allison | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | N Bonnett | N Bonnett |
1984   | D Waltrip | T Labonte | H Gant | H Gant | H Gant | B Elliott | B Elliott |
1985   | B Elliott | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | D Waltrip | H Gant | H Gant |
1986   | T Richmond | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | T Richmond |
1987   | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | B Elliott | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | B Elliott | B Elliott |
1988   | R Wallace | B Elliott | B Elliott | B Elliott | B Elliott | R Wallace | R Wallace |
1989   | R Wallace | R Wallace | R Wallace | R Wallace | R Wallace | R Wallace | D Waltrip |
1990   | D Earnhardt | M Martin | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt |
1991   | D Allison | D Earnhardt | H Gant | H Gant | H Gant | H Gant | H Gant |
1992   | B Elliott | A Kulwicki | K Petty | K Petty | K Petty | H Gant | H Gant |
1993   | R Wallace | D Earnhardt | R Wallace | R Wallace | R Wallace | R Wallace | R Wallace |
1994   | R Wallace | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | M Martin |
1995   | J Gordon | J Gordon | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt | D Earnhardt |
1996   | J Gordon | T Labonte | J Gordon | J Gordon | J Gordon | D Jarrett | D Jarrett |
1997   | J Gordon | J Gordon | D Jarrett | D Jarrett | D Jarrett | B Labonte | B Labonte |
1998   | J Gordon | J Gordon | J Gordon | J Gordon | J Gordon | J Gordon | J Gordon |
1999   | J Gordon | D Jarrett | B Labonte | B Labonte | B Labonte | B Labonte | B Labonte |
2000   | T Stewart | B Labonte | B Labonte | B Labonte | B Labonte | J Gordon | B Labonte |
2001   | J Gordon | J Gordon | S Marlin | S Marlin | S Marlin | B Labonte | B Labonte |
2002   | M Kenseth | T Stewart | Kurt Busch | Kurt Busch | Kurt Busch | Kurt Busch | Kurt Busch |
2003   | R Newman | M Kenseth | J Johnson | J Johnson | J Johnson | J Johnson | J Johnson |
2004   | J Johnson | J Gordon | Kurt Busch | J Johnson | Kurt Busch | J Johnson | J Johnson |
2005   | G Biffle | T Stewart | T Stewart | T Stewart | T Stewart | G Biffle | G Biffle |
2006   | K Kahne | M Kenseth | J Johnson | J Johnson | J Johnson | D Hamlin | K Harvick |
2007   | J Johnson | J Gordon | J Johnson | J Johnson | J Johnson | J Gordon | J Gordon |
2008   | C Edwards | C Edwards | J Johnson | J Johnson | J Johnson | K Harvick | C Edwards |
2009   | J Johnson | J Johnson | J Johnson | J Johnson | J Johnson | Kurt Busch | D Hamlin |
2010   | D Hamlin | K Harvick | K Harvick | J Johnson | J Johnson | C Edwards | C Edwards |
2011   | T Stewart | C Edwards | C Edwards | T Stewart | T Stewart | T Stewart | T Stewart |
2012   | J Johnson | B Keselowski | B Keselowski | B Keselowski | B Keselowski | Kyle Busch | C Bowyer |
2013   | M Kenseth | J Johnson | J Johnson | J Johnson | J Johnson | D Earnhardt Jr | M Kenseth |
2014   | B Keselowski | J Gordon | J Logano | K Harvick | J Logano | K Harvick | K Harvick |
2015   | J Logano | K Harvick | J Logano | J Logano | C Edwards | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch |
2016   | J Johnson | K Harvick | J Logano | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch | J Johnson | J Johnson |
2017   | M Truex Jr | M Truex Jr | M Truex Jr | M Truex Jr | M Truex Jr | M Truex Jr | M Truex Jr |
2018   | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch | J Logano | J Logano | J Logano | J Logano | J Logano |
2019   | M Truex Jr | Kyle Busch | M Truex Jr | M Truex Jr | M Truex Jr | M Truex Jr | Kyle Busch |
2020   | K Harvick | K Harvick | J Logano | C Elliott | K Harvick | C Elliott | C Elliott |
2021   | K Larson | K Larson | K Larson | K Larson | K Larson | K Larson | K Larson |
2022   | C Elliott | C Elliott | R Chastain | R Chastain | R Chastain | J Logano | J Logano |
2023   | W Byron | W Byron | W Byron | W Byron | W Byron | R Blaney | R Blaney |