NASCAR: No easy solutions after complete playoff embarrassment

As someone who has been following NASCAR for decades and witnessed the evolution of its format over time, I must say that this year’s championship left me with mixed feelings. On one hand, it was exciting to see the drama unfold during the playoffs, just as we always hope for. But on the other hand, the fact that a driver who finished 11th in the season standings was crowned champion has raised some eyebrows and questions about whether NASCAR is rewarding the right things.

Ever since the advent of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs back in 2004, there’s been a constant buzz among fellow racers and fans alike about the system. It’s not just a recent conversation sparked by the 2024 playoffs or the 2024 season, or even the revamp of the format in 2014. No, it’s a discussion that goes back to the very start of the playoff era.

Since the Cup Series shifted from a season-long championship format to one determined by a postseason, there has been growing criticism from fans that the titles are now perceived as less “authentic” or “genuine”.

Over the course of 21 playoffs, the driver who became champion was the same as the one with the most points in a given season on just eight occasions. In the current competition format, this has occurred only three times in 11 seasons, and it last happened in 2021.

Titles in sports aren’t something you just get; they are earned through hard work and dedication. No one can be considered an “undeserving” or “illegitimate” champion because everyone adheres to the same rules, whether it’s football (NFL) or baseball (MLB). The fact that a team with the best regular season record doesn’t necessarily win the championship emphasizes this point.

The question is whether or not NASCAR is rewarding the right things when it comes to crowning a champion.

Previously, there haven’t been significant repercussions for adopting this format. For example, drivers who would typically end up in second or third place in the season standings could still win championships without causing much controversy. Even so, it was always the top-tier drivers who performed exceptionally well when it truly mattered. Jimmie Johnson’s five consecutive titles weren’t a mere coincidence, despite the fact that only two of them were considered “non-points titles”.

However, the competition for the 2024 title turned out to be rather questionable, to put it mildly, as it became challenging to accurately identify the ultimate winner.

Indeed, it wasn’t quite as severe as some of the more extreme possibilities we had discussed prior to the start of the playoffs. However, among the more feasible situations, this one certainly ranks high on the list.

Joey Logano ended up behind three drivers who didn’t qualify for the playoffs during the regular season. He managed to secure a spot only due to a dramatic five-overtime victory where he outpaced Zane Smith, who was then at the bottom of the rankings in 34th place.

It would be illogical to argue that Logano, who finished 15th and has a spot in the 16-driver playoffs, shouldn’t have earned his position, given that Harrison Burton, who ended up last in points but won at a superspeedway, managed to make the playoffs.

Initially, I believed that Logano’s elimination marked the end of his race in the round of 12. However, it turned out that only the top eight drivers advancing to the round of 8 based on total points, or so it seemed at first glance.

Logano ended up advancing after all, when Alex Bowman was disqualified.

In the opening race of the round 8 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a NASCAR driver who currently ranks 15th secured his spot in the Championship 4, marking it as the sixth consecutive time this has happened in even-numbered years. Following two weeks of seemingly unimportant playoff races for the No. 22 Ford driver, he triumphed again at Phoenix Raceway to seal his third championship title.

As a diehard fan, I must admit that even though Team Penske’s Joey Logano managed to clinch three postseason victories amidst a tough run where he didn’t make it past the fourth position in four out of nine races prior to the Championship 4, his overall points tally still placed him at an 11th-rank position.

If the NASCAR Cup Series title is indeed the “hardest championship to secure”, as suggested by the NBC team at Phoenix, then how could such a trophy be awarded to a driver who doesn’t manage to rank among the top 10 in points?

Again, is NASCAR really rewarding the right things?

It’s clear that the answer is a no. While Logano’s four victories ranked second among drivers, and the current format heavily emphasizes winning, if this were entirely accurate, Kyle Larson should have made it to the Championship 4 given his six wins (even with one absence). This suggests that there might be other factors at play as well.

Given Elton Sawyer’s statement as Senior Vice President of Competition at NASCAR, where he stated that the format demands drivers to give their best every week, it seems clear that there’s a mismatch between what NASCAR intends to honor and what they are currently honoring in reality.

Due to having eight results finishing outside the top 30, along with an additional seven finishes beyond the top 20, it’s clear that Logano and his team weren’t at their best performance level each week.

Logano himself acknowledged that the real chase for the championship began during the opening race of the round of 8 at Las Vegas, which occurred eight months into the season and was the 32nd race overall. At this point, he had already been considered “eliminated” from contention, with only four races left in the schedule.

As a gamer, I’ve been struggling to keep up with the pack lately. Among the 76 Cup Series champions I’m competing against, my average finish of 17.1 is the poorest. That’s right, even in this league of 34 full-time drivers, I’m bringing up the rear. To make matters worse, I’m about three spots behind the next driver on the list who’s also having a tough time.

It seems like NASCAR is the only one not seeing that.

However, it’s important to clarify that this statement isn’t a criticism of Logano. He indeed secured the championship, which is no small feat. What he accomplished was something everyone else found challenging. The No. 22 team, just like they did in 2018 and 2022, navigated the playoffs skillfully, taking full advantage of the format. This tactic wasn’t duplicated by any other team, unequivocally.

If you have an issue with the format, don’t hate the player. Hate the game.

The problem is that there is no easy solution. Any modification to the playoff format would still result in complaints from fans, no matter what. There would still be an argument that NASCAR isn’t rewarding the right things.

Over the past while, I’ve noticed an increasing number of fellow enthusiasts expressing their desire for a reversion to the 10-race playoff system that was in place prior to 2014. However, even during those ten seasons, there was no shortage of criticisms leveled against it as well.

In today’s context, an extended season structure isn’t feasible because of the emergence of stage racing. This type of racing setup allows a driver to potentially win every single one of the 36 races and still end up in 11th place in the overall standings.

Surely that would be taken well on social media.

Essentially, it boils down to the fact that it’s impossible to please everyone due to varying preferences. Some prioritize victories over others, some prefer eliminating stages, others long for a return to the Winston Cup era points system, while some desire playoff rounds extending beyond three races, and still others seek a championship that spans more than a single race.

You get the idea. There is no way to create a format in which the championship-winning driver is unequivocally the top driver in the eyes of all fans.

It’s important to note that bias plays a role as well. Regardless of our willingness to acknowledge it, many grievances might not have been raised if the parties involved had been different.

If a driver other than Logano had clinched this year’s title while not being ranked within the top 10, there would still be some grumbles, but they wouldn’t have been as intense or noticeable.

NASCAR isn’t going to react to angry fans on social media who will go out of their way to find ways to be angry regardless.

Indeed, it’s worth questioning circumstances when the NASCAR driver, finishing at the 11th place overall, has been declared champion. This is particularly intriguing given that a main point advocated for the current system was debunked by a racer who just experienced an unpredictable and subpar championship season, setting a record for inconsistency in the Cup Series’ history.

Logano’s recent championship win came shortly after Sawyer’s remarks, which could be described as a rather awkward or unsettling situation for NASCAR.

Despite their belief, the format doesn’t seem to be fulfilling its intended purpose, except for the thrilling “Game 7” instances frequently discussed. In contrast, games 1 through 6 in a World Series have significant impact, unlike NASCAR’s “Game 7.

In simpler terms, how might NASCAR devise something comparable on their end? It’s not an effortless task, and it’s likely to provoke more criticism. Essentially, it seems like a no-win situation for them.

Despite no impending alterations, it’s likely that fans will continue to tune in regardless. Given this, we shouldn’t anticipate any significant modifications in the immediate future, especially after a rather lackluster conclusion to the 2024 season where 10 drivers amassed more points over the 36-race season than the champion did.

2024-11-11 17:02

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