NASCAR has been left divided by yet another rift that came in the aftermath of the weekend at Talladega. One section, backed by the promotion, believes that the Cup Series race was a great spectacle with 67 lead changes among 23 drivers. The other section disputes that claim and instead believes that the Xfinity Series race was a far better showing.
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Former NASCAR driver Elton Sawyer said on SiriusXM this week that there is nothing to fix in the Cup Series racing product. His words received a lot of backlash, and reporter Austin Konenski was one of those who wrote against him. He said that he has been watching NASCAR for over two decades now and that it hurts him to see the ones in charge be so blind to what’s happening on the race track.
He further put forth a challenge, “Watch Cup v. Xfinity, and tell me which was better at Talladega… Zero progress, zero awareness of the issues right now.” A large horde of fans rushed to his support in criticizing the promotion and voiced their opinions strongly.
One comment read, “Literally, all we want is the Xfinity Series cars on Sundays.”
Literally all we want is the xfinity car on sundays
— Matt Dyer (@DyerEmergencies) April 29, 2025
Another shared a similar view as Konenski. They said, “I’m 30. I don’t even recognize the cup series anymore. This ain’t what 6-year-old me would look forward to literally all week long. It kinda hurts. Like growing apart from a close friend. I desperately hope they can fix it. Xfinity is great, tho.” What is the point of working to get new fans if the old ones no longer stay fixed to the races?
Going to Mexico, Canada, or any other international destination will only matter if the promotion can satisfy its existing fans. Another pitched in, “Don’t worry, at this rate our racing weekends will begin on Fridays and end on Saturdays, leaving Sundays open for relaxation.” The dissatisfaction with the promotion and its officials was only reflected more in other comments.
Yet another person declared, “If they got their heads so far up their a** then nothing will change. 4 million watching is a big number that’s all they see is money. Oh well, just count me out on watching these types of tracks. Short tracks are next. I’ll always watch Xfinity as it’s the best racing.” This section of fans is further supported by the opinion of Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin.
He admitted on Actions Detrimental that the Xfinity Series race was a lot more entertaining than the Cup Series race. He went a step ahead from there and requested Joe Gibbs Racing to let him race in an Xfinity Series race at Talladega at least once before he retired from the sport. The driver has made it much harder for the promotion to keep fans subdued on this matter.
