Martin would be two-time Cup champ under new system

Yesterday I commented that Mark Martin would have beat Tony Stewart for the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup under the newest proposed points system, which was reported last night by Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press.

Chalk up another one for NASCAR’s most lovable second place finisher of all-time.

Mark Martin endured a 46-point penalty early in the 1990 season but still lost the Winston Cup to Dale Earnhardt Sr. by 26 points. In a book by Larry Woody, called, “Mark of Excellence,” Martin compared the penalty to, “rolling through a stop sign when nothing is coming, but a policeman catches you and writes you up.”

Harsh.

Now, it seems, Martin, or at least his fans—who have wondered ‘what if’ since the day the 1990 season ended—can take solace in knowing that under the “new” points system (barring any NASCAR penalty) the 52-year-old from Batesville, Ark., would be a two-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion. Martin would have defeated Dale Earnhardt Sr. 1104-1095 in the 1990 season, a difference of just nine points***.

The system, which gives 43 points to a race winner and one point less for each position after first, is being debated by fans and media alike. Count me in as a believer, as of right now.

I know Mark Martin would dismiss the praise and probably tell the media, ‘It’s over, it happened, we didn’t win.’ But, as a fan of Mark Martin, it’s kind of a neat thing to think about the man who has come oh-so-close in the past would have been on top if the new points system was used in the past.

I wonder if anyone will ask Mark Martin about these findings? I really wish I had the opportunity to be in Daytona on Thursday. I’d certainly love to ask him and get his feelings on his two mythical NASCAR titles.

Join me tomorrow for a little commentary on NASCAR and the younger generation of fans. Until then, have a great Tuesday evening.

***I used the "43 to 1" system and awarded one point for leading at least a lap, and then three more points for leading the most. If a driver led the most laps and won a race, he would receive 47 points--43 for winning, one for leading a lap and three more for leading the most. That was how I understood one of the systems for awarding bonus points. That may well change in the next day or two, but for now, it is the system I used to calculate points in the 2002 and 1990 seasons.