The Contenders

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Why does a driver championship usually end up with 2 contenders?

Points systems with narrow differentials and NASCAR even has 10-race playoff (AKA The Chase) and it usually ends up with two drivers fighting for the championship.

Is there some sort of quasi logic mathematics?

[D-Type]

The NASCAR 10-race playoff is a ploy to prevent anybody wrapping the championship up early, ie to retain spectator interest.

The World Drivers' championship has had three contenders going into the last race on occasions - 1964 and 1982 spring to mind but I'm sure there were others.

I don't think of sports car championships as being 3-way contests but technically the 1955 and 1959 championshipd had 3 possible winners dependent on the last race

[D-Type]

Thinking about this, it's not only motor racing, most sports contests end up with two contenders: football leagues, horse races, running races (at least the longer ones). So perhaps there is a scientific/ mathematical/ statistical reason, or maybe it's just human nature - if you're not in contention you automatically ease off a bit.

[Mark]

I don't know really. Certainly in Motorsport it ends up with one run away winner as it does one on one.

Other than that if competitors drop off one by one there will always be two just before the end.

[Tazio]

Alesi, who was born in 1964, has no oval experience and has yet to turn a lap at IMS.

Alesi gives the 500 its 33rd confirmed entry, reaching the traditional number for the event. If there’s a 34th, it figures to come from Jay Howard, who is shopping a sponsorship package. But the lack of engine options might be too much for the 500 veteran, who has 12 career IndyCar starts, to overcome
Jean Alesi bumps IndyCar field to 33 cars for Indy 500 - Autoweek (http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120507/INDYCAR/120509891#ixzz1uEtMDNT3Didn't)

I didn't want to start a thread, but how about Alesi on the grid of his first Indy 500. This seems like something he could do (being competitive at his age) I hope he represents himself well. I'm sort of surprised he's never driven an Indy 500. I mean after his days he drove Monaco at or around the same day, or week.
Does he have sponsorship, or is he footing the bill himself?

[slorydn1]

Good question. I really believe it's because the drivers/teams race to the rules, so to speak.

The FIA system is a true go or go home system where only (now) the top 10 get points, with the podium finishers taking home a really good haul of points. A bad race really is no big deal because most of the field doesn't get any points, anyway. Go on a Vettel 2011 or Schumacher 2004 type run and a bad race means zilch.

In NASCAR, even with the chase, consistency matters (heck once the chase starts its really the ONLY thing that matters, usually one bad race and you are done). If you can string off 9 or 10 top 5's over those last 10 races unless somene goes off and wins 5 races (like Tony Stewart did in 2011) you are pretty much a lock. Heck Tstew had to win those 5 races just to TIE Carl Edwards, and ended up winning on the tie-breaker.

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[Rollo]

Why does a driver championship usually end up with 2 contenders?

Points systems with narrow differentials and NASCAR even has 10-race playoff (AKA The Chase) and it usually ends up with two drivers fighting for the championship.

Is there some sort of quasi logic mathematics?

Duverger's Law - Duverger's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger's_law)
Motor races are a single seat winning system, but instead of people voting for a winner, the results are determined by inequal participants.

It also tends to work for products in a marketplace where there's not much distinction between the actual product, such as Coke & Pepsi, Vodafone and Telstra, Microsoft and Apple...

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Duverger's Law - Duverger's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duverger's_law)
Motor races are a single seat winning system, but instead of people voting for a winner, the results are determined by inequal participants.

It also tends to work for products in a marketplace where there's not much distinction between the actual product, such as Coke & Pepsi, Vodafone and Telstra, Microsoft and Apple...

I did A Level Politics and never heard of Duverger's Law though I do know that first-past-the-post creates a duopoly/two-party system. Never thought it extends to sport.

It's a fascinating concept given nature the nature of motorsport: a number of categories and their own points system.