The Greatest Championship Battle In NASCAR History That Never Happened 

What do you think the greatest championship battle to never happen in NASCAR was?

I'd be genuinely curious to see a "How Good Was Greg Biffle?"

One of NASCAR's most underrated seasons ever.

Chase or no chase, 2012 will always be 1 of my favorite seasons of all time!

Full season point battles are the best. It’s an absolute shame NASCAR doesn’t crown their champions by points earned all year long instead of using a playoff system.

In my opinion, 2012 is the most underrated season of the 2010s, just like how 2006 was the most underrated season of the 2000s. In large part, the main reason why I say both of these seasons are underrated is the fact that, had the playoffs never happened, the championship battle would have come down to the wire. I'm giving the edge to 2012 though, because while 2006 was a 2-man fight, 2012 had as many as 8-10 guys within 90 points of each other. Anyone in the top 10 could have gone on a hot streak and won it

"And It Makes Many Wonder, What If Johnson Hadn't Blown A Tire At Phoenix, What If His Team Hadn't Missed A Lugnut At Homestead, What If In 2012 Jimmie Johnson Captured His Missing Ring"

2019 would have been amazing. After dominating the season, Kyle Busch almost blew the whole thing, losing the points lead with 7 races left. Going into Homestead, 5 drivers would have had a chance, and Kyle would have clawed back up and sneaked out a title by TWO POINTS

To me, it's Ernie vs Earnhardt (1994). Ernie Irvan was the only driver anywhere near Dale Earnhardt that year, he was just a few points behind Dale, before his near-fatal accident in Michigan.

By the way, it's ironic that Logano and Kenseth had a crash with each other in it 3 years before the Kansas race happened

5:45 Remember when engines actually failed and you had to build a reliable one? Back when NASCAR wasn't circumcising them? (Grr I hate that tapered spacer)

I guess this championship battle is _hypothetical_

All this does is show how good the COT from 2010-2012 truly was and why people shouldn't judge something off of how it looks and personally i like the look of the COT from 2010-2012 i think it looks better than the gen 6.

2002 Because of Marlin's Neck Injury

I think 2012 was a crazy year for motorsports as a whole, if you ask me.

With no chase, Keselowski would have won by a few less points over Johnson

Since no one ever says it I’m gonna say it the background music is fire 🔥

The playoffs have caused more harm than good

Funny how people that say season end points systems would lead to boring championship battles are pretty much saying that every nascar championship battle before 2004 is boring, which is obviously not true. Also who cares if the championship battle is “boring”. This is supposed to be a competitive sport and if a driver is dominant enough to lock up the championship a round or two early then he deserves to do so.

What this shows is how a year end points format actually works. F1 is by far the biggest motorsport and they use it, Indycar uses it, pretty much every single other league uses it. If we can have legitimate championship battles like that it would mean so much more than what we have now where everything is manufactured. Great video as always and Nascar should really look at this as an example to bring back natural racing

As a Biffle fan, pain. As a racing fan, WOW!

First season I watched nascar heavily. My father had always been a fan and watched majority of races every year, only missing ones when work called for him to come back to garage. He was a Jeff Gordon super fan, so naturally a 12 year old me was also, but wanted a driver of my own. We were from Kentucky and Brad K ended up winning Ky speedway that year, so that combined with the fact we shared the same name I instantly clung on to calling myself a #2 Penske Dodge fan. Later when he wheeled his way to the title I was estatic and absolutely hooked on rooting for him. To this day watch 30 or more races a year wearing my #2 Discount Tire hat rooting for Brad. We had a great year this pass season, and I was convinced we were going to bring home the gold, just couldn’t catch Chase Elliott’s camaro, even though our mustang was the best car on track at Phoenix. We just ran out of time. Seeing a young Brad battle like this makes me so happy. Great video, we’ll always love going back and watching his triumphs.

When someone mentions the 2012 Nascar season. Montoya running into the jet dryer: Allow me to introduce myself!

Bruh... is there ever going to be a time where *Denny Hamlin could be at least a hypothetical champion?....*

Ngl, Jr’s Amp, Mtn Dew Dega, and Keselowski’s Miller Lite cars (normal and retro) were 🔥

"Remember that this is just a hypothetical scenario. I know that they would have raced differently had this system been in place. This is just for fun."

And to celebrate, Brad got totally trashed on Miller Lite and went on SportCenter

2006 Has to be the Greatest Championship battle to never happen in NASCAR Considering that Jimmie Johnson would have won the Championship over Matt Kenseth by just 4 points But I gotta say 2012 ain't far behind

The COT era car with the spoiler and redesigned nose was taken for granted

Wow. The points were that close! That’s amazing! Thank you for sharing

Even in a season long format, Brad Keselowski is a championship upset. I love it

This video is proof that we need the Winston Cup format back. Lmao “it’s not exciting”

2012 was just a great year for motor sports. That’s when IndyCar started to become more competitive, nascar was great across all 3 series, and F1 was crazy too

1992, 2002, (potentially) 2012… What was with the Cup Series having great championship battles in years that ended with 2? Hopefully by 2022, NASCAR wises up and gets rid of the Playoffs so we can have a great title fight for the first season with the Gen7 cars!

2012 as is: *🅱️RAD* 2012 with *HYPOTHETICAL: 🅱️RAD* *At least we get to see him drunk either way...* lol

To whomever is reading this, I hope you have a great day/night :)

My only thing is that as fans we look at seasons with the playoffs format and say "oh if we didn't have the playoffs this would have happened instead" or "so and so would have x amount of championships if the playoffs didn't exist" - but that doesn't account for the human element of things. If the playoffs format didn't exist then drivers, crew chiefs, and teams would have approached the ENTIRE season differently and faced different pressures in different races so the points wouldn't be the same as they ended up being in reality, because they wouldn't react or prepare for races the same as they did with the playoffs. Hell you can't approach different formats the same on something like Iracing let alone in real life. In terms of the video great vid tho, love the channel ❤💪

I remember being extremely confused by the playoffs, after all, 2012 was my first season I watched. I didn't understand all of the wild card nonsense. I feel like if it was a full season points format, its fair to say that it would've been WAY easier for me to understand. And if I thought that was confusing, I can't even imagine what people trying to get into the sport think now when they see how the playoffs work.

My boi finished 4th in the final points standings that year with the Chase system.

Yea 2012 could've been insane had there been a season-long championship battle. I was hoping for a little more craziness but for what it was worth, I would've taken it.

“The shit got put, big time, into the fan.” 2020 exists.

Wasn't there a year where the chase ruined a possible Gordon vs Jr title fight?

2018 xfinity wants to know your location.

The Iceberg = Content Factory. Been cranking out 🔥 every day lately.

I'm just here to say that Strange Animal is an absolute BANGER. Thank you, and goodnight.

Hi

This was definitely one of the most underrated nascar seasons it was just a shame that Jimmie had issues right at the end of the season and we got denied an amazing championship battle at the end. If it wasn’t for his issues it would’ve the greatest title showdown in history

Jimmies crew got the job done and taped that thing back to 9th in Kansas. Impressively

The only format I’ve watched was the playoffs, so every year was a good battle except for 2017

Bro I never got to see the original point system. That is why I watch f1. And I just wish we had it in nascar. It would get me to watch more races too because every race would really matter

Remember the "Big 3" Truex, Harvick, Busch. That could've been the greatest season long championship battle ever... but the playoffs ruined that entire storyline.

Can you please do more of these Championship Seasons videos. Like seasons where we had chase or playoffs, can you analyze how the season would play out under a points system? It’d be a lot of work I’m sure but this was hella entertaining!

I got a hunch that theyre gonna change the points system for next season. after all, they havent stuck to the same one for more than 4 years. they changed it in 2004, 2007, 2011, 2014, and 2017. If the trend continues, we're due for a change for 2021

2018 would have been interesting between Harvick, Busch and Truex Jr. I think Busch got it by just a handful of points.

Love seeing that Bradley would have won regardless of the points format

This would have been better than the 1992 Championship. But NASCAR wants 'excitement'

Jimmie would have had it under either format if he didn’t DNF in the last two races... That’s one season I’ll never get over.

Funny how Nascar created the Playoff format to fabricate close finishes like this when they naturally happen with the plain points format anyway.

Anybody noticed that on a point list he added another 7?

Background music 🎵🎶🔥🔥🔥🔥

I think the 2002 championship battle is another great championship battle that never happened. I mean you had Marlin, Stewart, Martin, and Johnson all elegible for the title in the closing races.

1992 has entered the chat .

Hey guys

Its BADASS Brad

Chase or no chase, Keselowski dethrowned Johnson for the championship. We need to look at with 2018 and 2019 season. It had some potientals if counting full season with no playoffs. But its all hypothetical and they could've raced differently.

It was a great battle. And had Jr not had the concussion issues and sat out those races, who knows...

Who else noticed when he remade this and then set the video to private?

Ah hell, im early lol

I really would love for a return to the season-long points format, but I doubt we'll ever see that. Heck, I'd even be happy to see them roll back to a variation of the original playoff format. Ten races without points resets and all the other crap that guarantee four (no more, no less) drivers have a chance at the championship at the final race. It doesn't guarantee the championship isn't clinched before the last race of the season and it doesn't guarantee 4 drivers will be racing for it, but it feels more traditional and is more exciting when there are close points races. People always refer to the great season ending at Atlanta in 1992. For me, I'll always remember the final race of 2011 where Stewart and Edwards tied in points. That race was epic and the final 10 races of that season were an incredible drive by Stewart. And it wasn't scripted by Nascar, aside from the playoff reset. Please, NASCAR. Dump the current playoff system.

Praise Hell, Raise Dale

2012...the years us Jeff Gordon fans try to forget. After eleven races, Jeff was 24th in points with only two top ten finishes. So much bad luck that season! The 2012 season started looking better until Phoenix. IMO Jeff was way out of line. Other than Sonoma in 2010, it was the only time I was ever truly disappointed in my driver. Gordon at least ended the season with a victory at Homestead. Unfortunately he would only muster a 13th place points finish. Luckily, there was a Chase and Jeff squeaked out a tenth place points finish.

That photo at 1:27 looks so beautiful. Must have been a great day to be outside.

Big 3 vs Joey Logano in 2018

I'm in this deep thinking that "So you think Denny Hamlin will get the championship this season?"

Your videos rock except that last song. I make sure to skip skip skip ahead to your next suggestion, cuz I love it. Maybe consider a @sharksuitabq song?

That was a great battle.

Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson in 2008

Jeff would’ve had 7 if Jimmie never raced

Lol as a Gordon fan, I will always be quick to point out his 7 😂

The best battle would've been 2014 gordon vs harvick. Because let's be real, gordon was snubbed and him and harvick had the best equipment that year. All year.

I think the 1992 season would be better if Dave Allison did not crash

You could make the arrangement that 2002 with Stewart,marlin,gordan, johnson, and martin But kansas took out martin and Marlin, gordan and Johnson's seasons were over after dega and officially mark martins was too

I can’t help but think that if this were all the case then Jr may have finished the season out just to have a chance. But then again that concussion is part of what made him decide to retire.

In my opinion, the Playoffs are harder to win a championship then the Winston format.

Think about what could've happened if Dale Earnhardt Jr didn't have his concussion

2006 championship. Which also 2006 Is very underrated as a season

2014 is one of my favorite battles ryan newman cat in the seat chasing behind harvick n Gordon between it all

Further proof that NASCAR created the playoffs to artificially manipulate the championship outcome in favor of whoever they wanted to hawk merchandise of.

But 15 year old nascar fans told me that the championship was always done with a few races left and was boring in a full season format. How can this be entertaining without my manufactured drama?

I mean 2 years ago would have been a crazy battle

Anyone remember when Jaret called the 2012 season boring?

I definitely think it could've been, but we have to get NASCAR to bring this back somehow. Peer pressure, riots, propaganda, something.

How many point lead changes were there?

I wasn’t noti gang this time 😔

2019 would've been pretty crazy through the whole season, considering five drivers would've had a title shot by Miami and there would be a points change in the final race (Kyle Busch would edge out Kevin Harvick by just 2 points)

You should do this with the 2014 season

I believe 2019 would have been really close if there wasn't playoffs

Epic season. Wish jr coulda stayed healthy

It's almost as if the GIMMICKS WERE UNEEDED!! WHO WOULDA THOUGHT THAT?!

Today is Greg Biffle’s 51st birthday.