NASCAR Sprint Cup cumulative point standings

Three times in the five-year history of the Chase, the driver who would have been crowned champion under the traditional (cumulative) points system differed from the driver who took the Chase title.

In 2004, Kurt Busch captured the Chase title, but under the old system, Gordon would have won his fifth championship by 47 points over Jimmie Johnson (Busch would have placed fourth, 247 points behind).

In 2007, Gordon earned a modern-era record 30 top-10 finishes in 36 races, which would have amounted to a 353-point victory over Johnson in the final standings using the traditional points system. But Johnson's four victories during the Chase gave him the title by 77 points.

In 2008, despite a 100-point penalty during the season, Carl Edwards, who led the series with nine victories, would have taken the traditional points title by 16 points. Instead, Johnson captured his third consecutive Chase title by 69 points over Edwards.

In 2005, either format would have crowned Tony Stewart champion. In 2006, Jimmie Johnson would have won under both formats, though by a slim four points in the traditional system, compared to 56 in the Chase.

(Chase for the Championship)

NOTE: Drivers who did not make the Chase denoted in bold