What If The NASCAR Playoffs Existed In The Year 1997?

[@mike4409]

97 was an off year for Dale Sr. So it makes sense that he didn't advance.

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

The 16 actual playoffs drivers in 1997 with a 10 race playoff would've actually been Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, Terry Labonte, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Bobby Labonte, Ted Musgrave, Bill Elliott, Ricky Rudd, Jeremy Mayfield, Johnny Benson, Rusty Wallace, Ken Schrader, Ernie Irvan, & Michael Waltrip. The 10 race schedule would be Darlington, Richmond, New Hampshire, Dover, Martinsville, Charlotte, Talladega, Rockingham _(No idea how you'd replace that in Heat 5),_ Phoenix, & Atlanta.

[@seannolan9857]

John Andretti's win at Daytona would have locked him in, so Mikey would have been out of it. Darrell Waltrip would have actually gone into the cutoff race with the final spot in points, but he had an uncharacteristically awful race at Bristol.

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

@seannolan9857 If "win & you're in" was a thing, then that is correct. And based on the winners in 97, Andretti would be the only one to get in that way. I'll take John Andretti over Michael Waltrip any day.

[@Fandom_Junkie]

It's kinda funny how you mention that Ernie Irvan keeps trying to wreck you. He was a pretty aggressive driver in real life

[@Ultimate23Dragon]

*Fun Fact:* In 1997, Mark Martin got screwed out of the championship in real life. But no one remembers that because he finished 3rd in points. In the 1997 Pepsi 400 (Summer Daytona), NASCAR issued a one-lap dash in an attempt to screw John Andretti out of his first Cup win & giftwrap it to Dale Earnhardt Sr.... Andretti did not fall for Earnhardt's fall back trick & won. However, a ctash did happen on the last lap. Mark Martin was the biggest victim of the wreck because the points lost were more than enough to cost him the title... all because NASCAR tried to screw another driver out of a win & gift it to one of their Golden Boys! So somehow, this video is payback.

[@seannolan9857]

Personally I think DJ got screwed a bit worse. Black flagged for a non-existent oil leak at Watkins Glen which took him from a top fifteen to outside the top thirty. At least Mark's wasn't directed at him per se, just another example of NASCAR valuing entertainment above all.

[@E3Rappa]

Fun fact, my dad personally knows Chad Little🙏🏼

[@GraveDigger35]

When you expected a Dale Earnhardt run, but instead you got an Austin Dillon shit fest

[@KyleBusch-2023]

dave marcis in the playoffs is insane edit: omg thanks for 19 likes

[@lazzman8230]

But awesome

[@KyleBusch-2023]

@@lazzman8230 yeah. imagine him getting top 10s and top 5's is just so crazy.

[@seannolan9857]

Marcis ran really well on my computer. He won in 46 consecutive seasons.

[@KyleBusch-2023]

@@seannolan9857 how the hell did that happen, did anyone else win the championship, wand how many wins did marcis get

[@seannolan9857]

@@KyleBusch-2023 Papyrus games had opponent ratings that were easy to adjust. Marcis won 125 races total, which gave him the second highest total behind only Ken Schrader who won 148. As I recall he only won three championships though. There were actually four occasions where he lost a title by five points or less. Other notable champions included Dick Trickle, Brett Bodine, Michael Waltrip, Joe Nemechek, Shawna Robinson, Patty Moise, Ward Burton (in a winless season!), Morgan Shepherd and James Hylton.

[@deoxysfan1117]

I think you should call Mike Skinner Principal Skinner For the Simpsons and it would sound better

[@Ravenz9494]

When you DNF it does re-sim the race even if people crossthe line from the start of the race.

[@joebar20]

Earnhardt was like the past few years of Kentucky basketball couldn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs

[@Broski8_Race]

The Bristol race was just the spring 2024 Bristol

[@seannolan9857]

If we actually had the playoffs, Bobby Labonte would have won the championship thanks to winning the finale at Atlanta. Much like in 2018, the "big three" would lose out to someone who was barely a factor all year. Incidentally I noticed that there are only 40 cars here, but 41st in points Wally Dallenbach and 42nd Dave Marcis made it in. Did the Green brothers get cut to make room for them? I didn't see either the #96 or the #29 at any point.

[@MichaelMrucz]

The green’s are out there. I did a full walk through of the mod last week

[@seannolan9857]

@MichaelMrucz So 42 cars in the mod, but only 40 in each race? How does it decide who DNQ's? Also kinda odd that Trickle's in his Busch car instead of Donlavey's #90.

[@MichaelMrucz]

@@seannolan9857 i think theres only 40 cars in the mod. i didnt make it so i have no idea

[@seannolan9857]

@MichaelMrucz I counted 42 in your other video, no one in the top 42 was missing.

[@MichaelMrucz]

@@seannolan9857 I really don’t know then tbh who is missing from the fields

[@QueenJosephineOfTheNorth]

Derrike Cope, Dave Marcis, Chad Little in the playoffs.

[@ic3man]

Chad Little wasn’t that bad

[@DallasLaFren]

Awesome video man your hilariously funny you've earned a sub from me! 😂

[@MichaelMrucz]

Thanks Dallas! :)

[@OrionBahm]

The way he drives in this game kills me

[@OE_Racing]

Pontiac is a GM car why wasn’t it coded in as a Chevy in the mod?

[@SuperNASCARrocks]

Didn’t have DAAAAAAD not making it out of the first round. What a shock.

[@carsfan5racing]

The last 10 races in 1997 (not counting the Suzuka race) was as follows: 23: Darlington 24: Richmond 25: New Hampshire 26: Dover (Downs) 27: Martinsville 28: Charlotte 29: Talladega 30: Rockingham* 31: Phoenix 32: Atlanta *Obviously the NASCAR Cup Series has not raced there since 2004, but I’m sure there is a track in the NH5 track roster that could offer a fine substitute. (Also, I thought you could make custom schedules with custom playoff lengths that could hypothetically span a whole season?)

[@DLafr96]

i wish the nascar games weren't delisted i never got the chance to get the nascar games guess i'll have to wait till nascar 2025

[@ChazTheFloofer]

what if michael moob fumbles jeff gordon dirt to daytona 2002 so Danica patrick star takes moob to be chef gordon ramsay in this weird 1997 universe

[@603LostRoads]

Andretti should have been in... he won the Pepsi 400

[@bobduncan2523]

Does anybody know if I need the next gen dlc to get this..? If that’s the case, how do I possibly download the legends mod cause im interested in that too

[@Staysick17]

24 had the championship 😂

[@robertl779]

Thanks for getting Mark Martin a championship

[@kabrave11]

Do a season series of this please 😭😔🙏

[@irvingboy1122]

Jeff Gordon got robbed of a title

[@jokejokejoke1160]

Wow i have the diecast car that Michael drove for the video

[@RailfanningThe716]

Y’all I never asked what the playoffs would have been like in 1997

[@killrodx]

Ayyy, good on Mark Martin.

[@Dereksbiblecamp]

Michael, how excited are you that you'll be in the Xfinity booth with Jamie McMurray?

[@olbenji]

I am pretty sure I have a Bobby Hamilton car from my youth someplace.

[@kameronfrancis8204]

Nascar is getting close too a comeback i just realized that also hi moobs im back

[@KellieLeigh48]

Boy u ain't said hello to me on X in ages. Come by sometimes. Miss ya

[@JG24Ever]

No one likes the playoffs in NASCAR. No one wants to see a driver win a championship who didn’t deserve it. And no I don’t know how to take an f’n joke 😂

[@martyfreeborn2540]

MOOOOOOBS!

[@BrianMcLean-u5s]

grandpa martin, what happened in 1997?

[@alexcasares7401]

How you get the mods?

[@NCS2025-vv]

I like these videos!

[@GigglesLoganohahaha]

Hahahahahaha

[@bonesdoes6142]

Go Mark 🎊

[@mrflytothesky]

Run a full season

[@JRD-u2u]

3:08 what? I can do that

[@derek2380]

Making the Pontiacs Toyotas instead of their GM equivalents Chevrolets is not only an insult but blasphemous

[@maximeleclerc9596]

Rigged

[@acemartin1408]

You've just never qualified a good car at the superspeedways then

[@Wild9000-o3z]

Hi moooooobs

[@NASCHEVY]

Sorry about ur Vikings are out and You lost to BFM team the Rams