The Most Dynamic Finish In All Of Sports For The Championship Is In Nextel Cup

Actually the title to this article is a bit misleading as it should say the most interesting finish of all the sports. The Nextel Cup Chase! I know what you are thinking how can that be the best finish of all the sports. Well for starters it isn't just one race but almost a full Nascar season to determine who is going to be in the top ten in championship points after three quarters of the races.

Right now I am watching the race in Loudon New Hampshire and Jimmie Johnson is the points leader and the race to the chase has changed dramatically as Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. are all having really bad days. For Newman it probably means he will be out of the championship outright.

It is almost as important not to crash as it is as important to finish in the top 10. Trying hard not to wreck or be involved in someone else's wreck is probably what is on the mind of most of the drivers in Nascar. You can see some drivers not putting their cars in the pits as it would put them in the back of the field with the lousy cars and the lousy drivers. If you are in the front you won't get involved in someone else's mistakes.

Keeping your car out in clean air for most of the races will keep you in a good place to finish in the points. The way the race for the chase is set up now you have to be in the top ten or if it is close it is all drivers within the top 400 in points. It hasn't happened yet that they had to go to the 400 points system but this year that may come into play. This format is not perfect and it will be tweaked by Nascar officials from time to time as it will allow more Nascar teams to be in the chase.

There has been talk of giving the leader in points going into the chase a 100 bonus points for being the leader but I will wait and see if Nascar does that. Out of the 43 cars that race every week getting top 10's is not as hard as it should be, but it is. There are some drivers that don't have a chance before the season even starts. There is just too much money being spent on the cars from the teams that can afford it. Single car teams don't have a chance at all of being in the chase.

As I am writing this I have two other sports in my mind as the best finishes of any championship, the World Cup final that ended on penalty kicks with Italy winning over France and of course the last two games of the 1986 World Series between the New York Mets and the Boston Red sox.