Thursday, November 5, 2009

How Jimmie Johnson could still lose the Sprint Cup

Everybody's going ahead and giving Jimmie Johnson his fourth Sprint Cup championship, but hold on! We've still got races to run! What's that you say? You say there's no way anybody's catching Jimmie? Balderdash, we say!

Mathematically, it's still possible -- phenomenally unlikely, but still possible -- that someone could catch Jimmie. Using this breakdown of NASCAR's points system, let's take a look at the ways things could go south for the 48 car. His closest pursuers are Mark Martin (184 points back), Jeff Gordon (192 points back) and Juan Pablo Montoya (239 points back). Let's break down their chances, shall we?

If Jimmie averages a top-10 finish over the last three races, it's over. No way anyone can catch him. So let's go down the line:

If Jimmie averages an 11th-place finish:
-Mark Martin has to win all three races and lead the most laps.
-Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya have no chance.

If Jimmie averages a 15th-place finish:
-Mark Martin has to average a second-place finish.
-Jeff Gordon has to win all three races and lead the most laps.
-Juan Pablo Montoya has no chance.

If Jimmie averages a 20th-place finish:
-Mark Martin has to average a 3rd-place finish.
-Jeff Gordon has to average a 2nd-place finish.
-Juan Pablo Montoya has to win all three races, but doesn't have to lead the most laps.

See? Easy, right? There's still a mathematical chance! Come on, stick around! It'll be fun! Please? Please ... ?

No comments: