In NASCAR, the points standings that most tend to follow are the driver’s standings, but the owner’s standings are still incredibly important. Chase Elliott asked about the owner’s points situation following running out of fuel at Watkins Glen. Why was he asking about it, and why did it matter?
Also Read:
Depending on how a driver finishes in a race plus stage points, he earns the same amount of points in both the driver’s standings and the owner’s standings. While the driver’s standings are tied to a driver’s performance, regardless of the car he drives, the owner’s points are solely tied to the car number.
NASCAR pays out money to the teams based on where they finish in the owner’s standings, so these matter a great deal to the race teams. Where they finish in the owner’s standings plays a big role in how much money each team brings in at the end of the season.
Typically, both of these points systems are exact replicas of each other towards the top because those who finish high in the points standings usually drive full-time in the same car with good equipment. However, if a driver misses a race for whatever reason, the points can have some pretty stark differences.
Whenever a driver misses a race and a replacement driver fills in, the replacement driver still gains the owner’s points for the car number. For example, Chase Elliott may have missed a few races early in the season, but Josh Berry and Jordan Taylor still earned points for the number 9 car in the owner’s standings.
Sometimes, these driver substitutions can make for some drastic changes at the end of the season. The 2022 season was a great example of this.
Kurt Busch drove the 45 car for 23XI Racing and won at Kansas to earn a Playoff spot. However, after an injury at Pocono, he missed the rest of the regular season, and, while he was out of the driver Playoffs, the 45 car still made the Playoffs in the owner’s standings. As a result, Bubba Wallace drove the 45 car for the Playoffs, and the car finished 10th in the owner’s standings.
Wallace won at Kansas, which changed the owner’s Playoff standings even more. As a result, the Championship 4 in the owners and drivers standings was different. As opposed to Chase Elliott’s number 9, it was Kyle Larson’s number 5 that was in the Championship 4 at Phoenix, and the 5 car finished third in the owner’s standings instead of seventh, where Larson finished.
The final spot in the 2023 Owner’s Standings Playoff spot has an extra car in it this season, the Hendrick Motorsports 9 car driven by Chase Elliott. While Bubba Wallace is well ahead of Elliott in the driver standings, the 9 car holds the final Playoff spot by 30 points over the 23 car. This can be changed by a new winner just like the driver points, but it shows that Elliott will still have a lot to race for even if he missed the driver Playoffs.
He could theoretically make the Playoffs and drive incredibly in the Playoffs to give the 9 car the 2023 Cup Series Owners Championship. Therefore, Chase Elliott is not only racing for his driver Playoff life, but a good run would also keep his car number in the owner’s Playoffs. That would be huge for Hendrick Motorsports.
This is why Chase Elliott can still play a major role in the Playoffs even if he misses the Driver Playoffs. He could play a big role in the Owner’s Standings, which could affect how money is distributed at the end of the season.
Following days of intense online speculation and rumors within the diecast community, Lionel, LLC has officially confirmed that it is set to be acquired by Round 2, a portfolio company of Praesidian Capital.
The two giants of the hobby and collectibles industry will eventually merge to form a new entity known as the Lionel Brands Group.
The Daily Downforce reached out to Lionel, and they confirmed Round 2’s intent to purchase the company, noting that the transaction is expected to progress over the coming weeks. The move signals a major shift in the landscape of NASCAR merchandising and diecast production, bringing together two of the most recognizable names in the business.
“We are aligned around a shared vision to build a stronger, fan-first platform that supports the brands, communities, and partners that have made each company successful,” the statement read.
For fans and collectors worried about immediate disruptions to their pre-orders or current programs, Lionel emphasized that the transition will not affect day-to-day operations in the short term.
“In the near term, it remains business as usual,” the company stated. “Our priority is maintaining continuity and supporting the programs already underway.”
Lionel, which has long held the exclusive license for NASCAR diecast, and Round 2 (known for brands like AMT, Johnny Lightning, and Racing Champions) aim to leverage their combined “strong legacies” to create new growth opportunities.
While the announcement confirms the intent to merge, specific details regarding future product lines or changes to the “Lionel Racing” brand remain under wraps. The company noted that future updates will be shared via their official social media channels as the transaction moves forward.
The statement concluded with a nod to NASCAR fans: “We’ll be in touch once we have more to share – Enjoy the race Atlanta!”
Are you a diecast collector? What do you think about this latest move? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
Joe Gibbs Racing alleged that former competition director Chris Gabehart took a wide range of confidential team information regarding competitive performance data, engineering processes, financial records, and internal personnel details. But what exactly do the documents say was taken?
JGR states it is entitled to damages believed to exceed $8 million, potentially subject to enhancement, along with attorneys’ fees. The organization is also seeking multiple forms of relief, expected to exceed that amount, as well as a cease-and-desist order to prevent any use or disclosure of what it describes as trade secrets.
You can learn more about the lawsuit itself, the circumstances surrounding Gabehart’s departure, and the broader allegations in the article linked below
NASCAR isn’t nerdy enough. Not in a cringe way, not in a gimmicky way, but in a way that could quietly and organically grow the sport. After a Daytona weekend filled with spectacle and nostalgia, DJ Yee believes there’s a bigger opportunity sitting right in front of NASCAR, one that doesn’t change the racing at all but could completely change how fans engage with it.
Other leagues have turned analytics into conversation fuel. In baseball, stars like Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani aren’t loud personalities, but advanced metrics tell their story anyway. NASCAR, meanwhile, has mountains of telemetry data but shares very little of it in a meaningful way. Throttle traces, brake usage, steering inputs, tire wear models, fuel efficiency ratings, clean air percentages, and even a “positions above replacement” type metric, the possibilities are endless. None of it would intrude on the racing. Casual fans could ignore it. But hardcore fans, creators, and analysts would suddenly have tools to build deeper narratives around drivers and performance.
Watch Also
