The NASCAR Playoffs, which started in 2004, have added drama and excitement. But in doing so, they have deprived some of this sports’ best drivers of a championship despite good performances. Here are four legendary drivers who never clinched the title in NASCAR’s Playoff Era:
4. Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin is one of the best NASCAR drivers to never win a championship despite his long career. He has reached and competed in playoffs 14 times since the beginning of the system. Hamlin has finished second in the championship three times: in 2010, 2014, and 2020.
2020 was a great year for him, where he secured seven wins and 17 top-fives. But what he could not achieve was to triumph in the Championship 4 race.
One key reason why Hamlin has not clinched a championship is the unpredictability of NASCAR’s postseason format. He’s been a four-time Championship 4 contender, but each time, bad luck struck him. Some of the reasons are poor pit strategy and some other race mishaps that deprived him of the title. Despite the fact that he led many races and has a very high number of wins, the elimination-style format has a habit of adversely affecting him at times when it really counted the most.
Hamlin has described the brutal nature of the playoff system and how tougher it is than past formats. He said he is more interested in continued accumulation of victories rather than obsession over the championship. However, he stresses that he looks at himself as a championship-level driver anyway. Hamlin is still a top driver, which means that he still has a shot at a championship.
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3. Carl Edwards
Carl Edwards reached the NASCAR championship twice in the playoffs era, only to lose painfully. In 2008, Edwards was a strong contender and he would have won the championship if it were not for Jimmie Johnson, who was in the prime of his record-breaking championship years. Edwards’ performance was not strong enough to prevent Johnson from claiming the championship, which was the third out of five consecutive titles.
The closest Edwards came to winning the championship was back in 2011, when he was tied with Tony Stewart. This was the only tiebreaker in NASCAR Cup Series history. The two drivers ended with the same number of points, but Stewart clinched the title courtesy of the final race in Homestead. Stewart took the title because he had the most race wins in the Chase. Nonetheless, Edwards had positive thoughts about the battle. He recognized how unique it was to be very close to the fight, although it was his most agonizing near-miss.
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2. Mark Martin
Mark Martin was an excellent race car driver and is still referred to as “The Greatest Driver to Never Win a Championship.” He has raced for more than 30 years and had five runner-up finishes in the points standings. The closest he got was in 2009 when he was narrowly beaten to the title by Jimmie Johnson at the time when Johnson was in his dominant era. During that season racing for Hendrick Motorsports, Martin recorded five victories and good results the whole season. However, he was outdone by Johnson, who clinched his fourth consecutive championship title.
Martin reached the pinnacle of NASCAR where he achieved 96 wins across various national series, including 35 Cup Series races. The NASCAR community holds him in high regard as one of the most competitive and respected drivers, although he never won a championship. He managed to place second in the Cup Series championship in 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, and 2009. This shows that he was indeed one of the greatest drivers of the sport, and across different decades.
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1. Jeff Gordon
Jeff Gordon, one of NASCAR’s most successful drivers, has struggled in the playoff era. These challenges meant he never won a championship under the playoff structure of the competition. His four titles were achieved before the system was put in place in 2004. However, Gordon enjoyed many brilliant seasons in his career. But if it were under the old points system, he would have gained three more titles in the years 2004, 2007, and 2014.
In 2014, Gordon had another good season, but, as was the case in previous years, he did not manage to win the championship. Had it not been for the modification of the points system, Gordon would have earned his seventh title, tying him with Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. But unlike the previous years, the playoff format and the elimination rounds, together with some bad luck on the track, denied him a chance to get to the championship stage.
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