Kansas 2014: All is equal in Round 2 of NASCAR’s Chase

With a victory followed by finishes of seventh and second, Brad Keselowski opened the Chase for the Sprint Cup as well as reasonably possible.

But while otherwise outstanding, Keselowski’s fine start comes with little tangible reward as NASCAR begins its second-round playoff Sunday at Kansas Speedway. In years prior he would likely be atop the standings, seemingly on the path to another championship. This season, as part of NASCAR’s revamped Chase, the standings are reset every three races, with drivers seeing their points totals rolled back to zero.

That’s why, despite a Round 1 average finish of 3.3, Keselowski finds himself in a points deadlock with the other 11 Chase drivers. Under the previous format, Keselowski would hold a four-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano. Not a significant margin, but a lead nonetheless.

“You win a race, well, that was great, (but) three races later, that means nothing,” Keselowski told reporters Tuesday. “You win another race? All right that was great, three races later that means nothing. You win another race? All right, that was great, it means nothing.”

The equaling out of the standings has created an interesting dichotomy with seven races and three rounds remaining. Despite five victories and high-level consistency, Keselowski finds himself tied with winless contemporaries Ryan Newman and Matt Kenseth.

That the system benefits him at the expense of those who’ve had more success isn’t lost on Newman, who readily acknowledges the disparity.

“I don’t think it’s fair for them for a guy like me who hasn’t won a race at all this year to be equal to them going into this three-race bracket,” Newman said.

The resetting of the championship order not only levels the playing field, but provides a mulligan of sorts to anyone who struggled in the preceding round yet still advanced. Whereas a bad race, broken part or a wreck would have derailed one’s hopes previously, that’s no longer the case.

“I think this format perfectly suits our situation in that we have not been the dominant car all year, but right now we are tied with guys like Brad Keselowski and Jeff Gordon,” said Carl Edwards, whose best Round 1 finish was 11th. “We have an opportunity now to make something happen and if I were those guys I would be frustrated but right now we are going to take advantage of this.”

Like Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr. labored through the Contender Round. Earnhardt’s team came nowhere close to matching the performance exhibited during the regular season, which included three wins and saw him enter the Chase as the No. 3 seed. Although never in danger of not moving past Round 1, Earnhardt’s results of 17th, ninth and 11th would have put him in a considerable points hole if NASCAR hadn’t altered the Chase.

Now, those championship aspirations are resuscitated.

“We didn’t do too well these first three so the reset button is in favor of our team,” Earnhardt said. “We feel like we are not realizing our potential and I think it is obvious we are not realizing our potential. This gives us an opportunity to sort of get back into the championship battle.

“Had (NASCAR) not structured it so, I don’t know that we would be feeling too confident about our chances at this point. Now it’s all back to zero. We can get regrouped and get confident again and come out of here with a great finish we are back in it.”

And how did those who didn’t need a lifeline feel about NASCAR’s generosity?

“Damn. At some point, I’d like to be rewarded, but who wouldn’t?” Keselowski said. “It’s still the same rules for everyone and as long as that’s the case, that’s all you can ask for.”