For years, NASCAR tried and tried to capture the excitement of stick-and-ball sport playoffs.
1992 saw the greatest championship finish ever in the season-long points format. Multiple drivers still in contention coming into the last race of the year. Early attrition knocked out a couple contenders, and when the checkered flag flew, the difference between the champion and second place was the point for most laps led. That point was secured by one single lap led. The sanctioning body chased that kind of thrilling ending again for decades.
It never happened.
As a result, we now have elimination-style playoffs where wins are important, bonus points carry through until the final race and the difference in advancing or not can be a single point. The problem is, in a modern version of the sport where everyone has access to everyone else’s data and communication and intellectual property, the ability of the smartest minds in the sport to manipulate the outcome of a final elimination race is on display, and the purity of the sport is completely compromised.
The modern version of NASCAR Cup Series racing is truly spec racing. The results of qualifying have never been more important than they are right now. Starting 15th on a given Sunday is more of a death sentence than ever before. Passing is truly an art form, but even Michelangelo can’t produce art when he has his brushes tied together with everyone else’s brushes.
When the race was winding down on Sunday (Nov. 3), Christopher Bell and William Byron were within a point or two of each other. After almost 9,400 laps of competition in the 2024 season, everything was coming down to a position or two on the track. The excitement of who would make it to Phoenix Raceway was palpable. A misplaced tire here, a missed braking point there could change the entire season for one driver. This is it — this is the kind of excitement that NASCAR wants.
But wait, is that all that was going on? Hardly, there were manufacturer orders trickling down to teams. Bubba Wallace is ahead of fellow Toyota driver Bell. He suddenly starts slowing down, eventually claiming to have a flat tire during the final few laps and having to limp home. Meanwhile, Austin Dillon and Ross Chastain were closing in on Byron and looked like they were going to pass their fellow Chevrolet driver, potentially knocking him out of the playoffs. Suddenly they began racing side-by-side and were stuck behind Byron and ultimately didn’t pass him.
The final lap rolls around and Bell makes an incredibly exciting move to appear to make the playoffs. Going into turn 3, he passes Wallace by driving deep into the turn. He washes up the track and bounces off of the wall. He stays after it and hits the wall a couple more times, but stays in front of Wallace and ends up tied with Byron. Bell owns the tiebreaker and is ready to head to Phoenix to chase a title.
Unfortunately for Bell and his fans, NASCAR invokes the rule that they put in thanks to Chastain pulling off the ‘Hail Melon’ a couple years ago and riding the entire turns 3 and 4 wall at Martinsville to gain enough spots to run for a title.
So while Bell made an incredibly exciting move that had fans cheering their lungs out for him as he made the Championship 4, it wasn’t the right KIND of excitement that NASCAR wants. So, they penalize Bell and move Byron into the Championship 4. Apparently the excitement of two guys failing to pass a fellow manufacturer driver was the right kind of excitement.
While the sanctioning body won’t admit it, the time has come to stop chasing stick-and-ball sports. The sport needs to get back to a season-long title race with no artificial eliminations or inflated point totals. If they want to keep stage points and bonus points for winning stages and leading laps, that is fine. However, the winner of the title should be the driver who accumulates the most points by the final checkered flag and no other means than that. If they don’t want that kind of title, then they need to live with all of the excitement created, real or manufactured.
About the author
What is it that Mike Neff doesn’t do? The writer, radio contributor and racetrack announcer coordinates the site’s local short track coverage, hitting up Saturday Night Specials across the country while tracking the sport’s future racing stars. The writer for our signature Cup post-race column, Thinkin’ Out Loud (Mondays) also sits down with Cup crew chiefs to talk shop every Friday with Tech Talk. Mike announces several shows each year for the Good Guys Rod and Custom Association. He also pops up everywhere from PRN Pit Reporters and the Press Box with Alan Smothers to SIRIUS XM Radio. He has announced at tracks all over the Southeast, starting at Millbridge Speedway. He's also announced at East Lincoln Speedway, Concord Speedway, Tri-County Speedway, Caraway Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway.
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Preaching to the choir here. Nothing more ridiculous than a ‘playoff’ that has every competitor still competing. Then Nascar wonders why things like Martinsville happen? DUH.
I don’t think they wonder at all. Nor do they care.
NASCAR is like a 50 year old guy who has spent his entire life trying to recreate the feeling of when he threw that TD pass in the High School title game.
Al Bundy?
The comments have told you that for years. Jim France is 80 and a billionaire. He isn’t running anything. Lesa France Kennedy has enjoyed spending her inheritance money all her life and now has her only child Ben making ridiculous changes to Nascar, she doesn’t care. And Ben grew up using a silver spoon and thinks his ideas are great. Tv. Buys them for 7 years for 7 billion dollars, so nobody cares about the product or anything. Bubba on the radio like you said, got a flat tire, got a flat tire as he slows to a snails pace before minutes later during a live interview he says twice, something broke, as his lying eyes look everywhere but the camera.
Give racing back to the teams. Let them work on the cars to make them better. IROC racing is boring. Anyone notice IROC isn’t around anymore. The champion should be the driver with the most points for the year. No Chase, no stages, just racing. Those ruining the sport need to go back and see why Nascar was so popular in the 80’s and 90’s.
That last sentence should be posted everywhere in Nascar offices (well maybe not the “those ruining the sport” part).