NASCAR Sprint Cup: 5 Drivers Who Could Get Screwed by the New Wild-Card Rule

As we get closer to NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup, the wild card spots are getting more and more valuable for those that may not make it in on points. But for some drivers, the wild card spots may ultimately screw up their chances at the Championship and possibly even the Chase. Let's take a look at five drivers who may wish the wild cards disappear after this season.

(For simplicity's sake, the new point system is being used in this slideshow)

No. 5: Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson won't be screwed out of the Chase because of the wild card, but he could be screwed out of a Championship.

Granted, all of this is theoretical, but Brad Keselowski is hot right now and unless he has a major choke in the Chase, he should be a major contender. An advantage for the top 10 guys is that only their points are rearranged, so no matter how many wins Keselowski has, he will still be No. 11 (unless he moves into the top 10 before the Chase).

But with Keselowski getting in because of his wins (although, in past years he'd get in because he's No. 11), the wild card may see Johnson scrambling to put points between himself and the No. 2 to try and get his six pack.

No. 4: Dale Earnhardt Jr

It may be a surprise to some, but Dale Earnhardt Jr is still in the Chase, even after some bad performances over the last few months. He also has a little more cushion over Brad Keselowski than the 10th spot with 39 points separating him from the Chase cutoff.

But if Junior somehow manages to slip out of the Chase in the next two races and can't end his dry spell, this new wild card situation will see him screwed. He would have to lose a lot of spots to get kicked out of the Chase over the next two weeks, but if it does happen, you can bet the No. 88 team of Hendrick Motorsports will be cussing the new Chase system.

No. 3: A. J. Allmendinger

A.J. Allmendinger sits in the 14th spot (second wildcard Denny Hamlin has the 13th spot), but if it was the old Chase format, he would only be 24 points out of the Chase.

Right now, if Allmendinger wanted to get into the Chase, he'd have to overtake Hamlin, who is eight points ahead of him, and he'd have to win a race. That sounds like a halfway-simple task, but he only has one top five this season.

It would probably be hard for Allmendinger to get into the Chase in the old format, but with the new format, it's almost impossible for him to squeak his way in there unless he has a big performance.

No. 2: Tony Stewart

While Tony Stewart is currently 10th in the Chase, he only holds that spot by 21 points. This may seem like a large margin, but the person in 11th is Brad Keselowski. In the old Chase format, Stewart would have a little cushion before he got kicked out of the Chase with two spots below him.

Stewart doesn't have any wins this season, so if he gets booted to 11th, he won't make the Chase. This could be a painful end of the regular season for him if he doesn't figure out a way to stay in front of Keselowski.

No. 1: Clint Bowyer

Any other year, Clint Bowyer would be in the Chase driver's seat with the No. 12 points spot in his possession.

This year, if he can't win before the Chase starts, Bowyer is just another one of those guys that is on the outside looking in. Technically, he could overcome Brad Keselowski for the No. 11 spot (only a point separates them) but even if he does, it won't do him any good.

Bowyer needs a win to steal the second wild card from Denny Hamlin, but chances are that he won't be in the Chase this season because of the new rule.