Top five moments in NASCAR's first 'Chase' era

4. Jimmie Johnson wins five straight (2010)

Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus essentially broke NASCAR in the mid-to-late 2000s by figuring out the Chase format. 2010 was no different. 

After already breaking the record for most consecutive titles with four in 2009, Johnson cemented a mark that still seems insurmountable today: five straight Cup Series championships. Johnson beat Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick to claim his fifth title and would go on to win two more in 2013 and 2016. 

3. Kurt Busch survives loose wheel to win title (2004)

The first season finale in the Chase era nearly went very differently for eventual champion Kurt Busch. On Lap 93, Busch came to pit road while reporting a loose wheel to his crew. 

He nearly hit the pit road wall as his right front wheel came completely off and rolled down the frontstretch at Homestead-Miami Speedway. A matter of a few feet was the difference in Busch rebounding to win the 2004 title that day over Johnson by eight points.

2. Clint Bowyer sprints after Jeff Gordon (2012)

Going into the penultimate race of the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series season at Phoenix Raceway, Clint Bowyer was in the midst of a career year. He was third in the Cup Series standings, only 36 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

With just three laps to go, Bowyer made contact with Jeff Gordon. Gordon took none too kindly to Bowyer's move and attempted to retaliate, initially failing. 

After slowing and waiting for Bowyer to come back around the racetrack, however, Gordon enacted his revenge, hooking Bowyer into the wall. The crash took Bowyer out of the race and essentially ended his championship hopes. 

Understandably, Bowyer was upset. After getting out of his battered car, he sprinted from pit road to the garage area in search of Gordon, though he was unsuccessful in finding him. Less than a decade later, Bowyer and Gordon both called races together while working for NASCAR on Fox. 

1. Carl Edwards vs. Tony Stewart (2011)

The 2011 Chase was something out of a Hollywood script. Tony Stewart had limped into the postseason as an afterthought in the title fight, while a consistent Carl Edwards was considered a contender. But after Stewart won four of the first nine Chase races, the two entered the finale at Homestead separated by just three points. 

In one of the greatest finales in NASCAR history, Stewart beat Edwards for the race win and outscored him by three points. With Edwards finishing the race in second, the two drivers tied atop the standings. NASCAR determined tiebreakers by a driver's race wins on the season, and Stewart won the title by having five to Edwards' one.