Kyle Busch an Anomaly? Not So Fast.
Written by Journo on July 15th, 2008Kyle Busch has emerged in the 2008 season as a powerhouse, so far winning seven out of 19 races. His season is shaping up to be one for the record books; however, his is not the first dominant season. From Jimmie Johnson to Richard Petty many drivers throughout history have had seasons where they could not be beat. While the pace Busch is on is certainly one of the quickest in modern times, he is still several wins away from the single season record. Before calling this season unprecedented consider the following.
Richard Petty and Jeff Gordon hold the record for the most modern era wins in one season at 13. Jeff Gordon did it in 1998; highlighted by a four win streak from Pocono to Michigan. Ultimately he walked away with the Winston Cup Championship. By the halfway point of the season Gordon only had four wins. In 1975 Petty made his record run, winning eight races by the halfway point in the season. He too took home the Championship trophy. As a side note, in 1967 (prior to what is considered the “modern-era”) Petty won 27 races in the 49 race season. A championship of course followed.
Other drivers who have had success similar to Busch by the mid-point include Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt. In 1987 Earnhardt had seven wins by the half point of the season. He had a four win streak early on in the season, and a three win run toward the end. He went on to win the Championship. Gordon also had seven wins by the mid point in 1997. He eventually won 10 races and the Championship.
A banner start to the season does not always guarantee a Championship though. David Pearson had seven wins by the halfway point in 1976 but lost to Cale Yarborough who actually had one less win. Yarborough too had seven wins by mid-season 1974. He lost to Richard Petty who had one more top-10 finish and four more poles. In 1985 Bill Elliott had seven wins by Daytona but lost the Championship to Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip, who only had three wins the entire season, had a more consistent record, keeping the trophy from Elliott.
The list of driver wins goes on and on. The moral of the story though is, unless a driver can maintain consistency, he will not win the championship. Winning half the races in a season is not necessarily the key to success. Both Benny Parsons and Matt Kenseth won championships with only one win under their belts (Ned Jarrett and Bill Rexford did it too). They were able to run more consistently than their counterparts at the Cup level. The old point system was an asset to this as well. If a driver was able to rack up points in other areas: laps led, finish position, etc., he could theoretically walk away with the Championship without winning a race.
A scenario where a driver dominates most of the season and then loses the Championship is even more likely with the current Chase system. If a driver can not maintain that all important consistency and show up toward the end of the season, a championship would be very difficult. This was the case with Jeff Gordon last year. He ran very well all season, but could not compete with his teammate Johnson, who ran very well when the Chase started.
Kyle Busch has a chance this season to break some modern records. However, where he stands right now, his season is certainly not unprecedented. Many drivers throughout history have had the same success Busch has had at the same point in the season, or sooner. If he hopes to pull off the Championship, consistency and success after the Chase starts is not only pivotal, but a prerequisite.
Posted under NASCAR History, NASCAR News.
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