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But what is interesting is that NASCAR might be the only sport to give as much credit to the second-place finisher as the winner.
 | The Next Best Thing | | Drivers with the most second-place finishes, 2003: |
| | | | | | | | | | | Note: Both Harvick and Labonte scored three of their four runner-up finishes in consecutive weeks. Labonte finished second in every race from Martinsville to Richmond (spring), while Harvick was runner-up from Michigan to Darlington (fall). |
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NASCAR -- in rare instances -- does this. The winner gets 180 points, and if the second-place finisher leads the most laps, so does he.
Just for kicks, let's see how second-place finishes have aided the Winston Cup champion over the years.
Kenseth was second three times in 2003, and in one of them (Coca-Cola 600) he actually led the most laps. So, on paper, he arguably scored the equivalent of two wins in 2003 (races at which he scored the same points as the winner).
Tony Stewart finished second just twice in his title year of 2002, but both times, he led the most laps in the race, so he scored the same amount of points as the winner did.
Jeff Gordon's title year in 2001 is the most impressive. He scored six wins, but he also finished second an astounding five times. In three of those races, he led the most laps and finished second.
Bobby Labonte finished second four times in 2000 but didn't lead the most laps in any of them.
In 1999, Dale Jarrett finished second six times but, like Labonte, didn't lead the most laps in any of them.
In short, the second-place finish has been a vital ingredient for any Winston Cup champion, and will continue to be.
Final chance to avoid some dubious stats.
Casey Mears is the only driver to make all 35 races this year and not score a top-10 finish. It's been a tough rookie season for the Californian, who has scored just five top-20 finishes in 2003.
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| Sterling Marlin |
Kenny Wallace narrowly joined Mears, but he was 10th in the spring race at Bristol, when only six drivers finished on the lead lap.
Sterling Marlin is without a top-five finish in 2003, although he leads the Winston Cup Series in sixth-place finishes with four.
Ward Burton is also without a top-five finish.
Mark Martin has never finished worse than 15th in his tenure with Roush Racing. He's 17th going into Homestead, 122 points behind 15th-place Jamie McMurray and 77 behind 16th-place Robby Gordon.
Busch Series: Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Obviously, we don't have much history to go on when it comes to racing on 20-degree banking at Miami.
Vickers has a 22-point lead over David Green, meaning Vickers will clinch the title with a third-place finish, no matter what Green does.
But let's be realistic. Green's probably not going to win and lead the most laps. He didn't lead the most laps in any of his victories this year.
But Green is going to be tough, and he'll probably score a top-five finish. No one has really mentioned it, but Green has stayed in the title chase mainly because his team has qualified wonderfully in the second half.
Green has qualified in the top three in six of the last eight races. Vickers has been even better -- he's qualified out of the top 10 just once in the second half.
Green obviously needs a top-five finish to help his chances, but a top-five -- even in the Busch Series -- is hard to come by. Green has got 11 top-fives, which sounds pretty good, but that is only one top-five for every three races.
Craftsman Truck Series: Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway
Brendan Gaughan already sounds like a man who likes the new track at Homestead, and he should have little trouble sealing his first Craftsman Truck Series title.
If Gaughan finishes fifth and leads a lap, he will clinch, no matter what Ted Musgrave (26 points back) does.
Gaughan has scored a top five finish in nearly 60 percent of his starts in 2003. Interestingly, Dennis Setzer, who is 39 points back in fourth, leads the series in top five finish percentage (63 percent).
NASCAR.com's Ryan Smithson breaks down the title chases every Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET
The opinions listed here are solely those of the writer.
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