Going back to the old Nascar Championship format does it usually make for an exciting last race? How many drivers usually have a shot at the end?

Since it's not only 4 drivers and it's cumulative points I don't know how the final race usually goes. I'm hoping it's pure chaos, more than 4 drivers battling, and not a snooze fest where they just let certain drivers battle. It sounds more exciting but I haven't watched a lot of previous championships before 2014.