Chase Elliott leads the NASCAR Cup Series regular season standings but has only six playoff points. Which is more important: accruing playoff points or winning the regular-season championship?
Luken Glover: It’s a position-dependent approach, but if you have a shot to win the regular-season title, not only is it a great accomplishment, it also pays out in playoff points. Chase Elliott might have only six playoff points currently, but what if he were to win the regular-season crown? That total would ascend to 21 playoff points, and that’s assuming he doesn’t win another race or stage, as the regular-season points leader receives 15 playoff points. Now, hypothetically, let’s say he ends the regular season third in points. Assuming he doesn’t add another playoff point, he would enter the playoffs with 14 playoff points since third gets eight points. If a driver has a realistic shot at earning the regular-season crown, that proves more valuable, especially if one picks up for more wins or stage wins along the way.
Andrew Stoddard: Well, by pursuing the regular-season championship, Elliott can essentially kill two birds with one stone. After all, the regular-season championship is worth 15 playoff points, the equivalent of three race wins. Since the regular-season championship was implemented in 2017, three of the six such champions have gone on to win it all: Martin Truex Jr. in 2017, Kyle Busch in 2019 and Kyle Larson in 2021. Elliott will need to start winning races sooner or later to become a championship favorite, but if he keeps running consistently as he has been of late, the wins will come — and a bigger batch of playoff points along with it.
Steve Leffew: The regular-season championship is a great accomplishment. In the ultimate goal of a championship, playoff points are more important. They kick in three times and could carry a driver all the way to Phoenix Raceway.
Would Chase Briscoe succeeding Martin Truex Jr. in the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 19 be the best move for the organization?
James Krause: Yes. No disrespect to some of the other rumored candidates, but Chase Briscoe is by far the safest bet to keep the No. 19 Toyota a consistent frontrunner with 13 top 10s over the last two seasons in subpar Stewart-Haas Racing equipment. What’s even more impressive when you analyze Briscoe’s performances is how clean his rap sheet is. In the 100 races since being parked for spinning Denny Hamlin late at the…
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