Is Christopher Bell the Perfect Example of NASCAR’s Broken Playoff System?

Joey Logano’s victory in the first Round of 8 race, in Las Vegas, brought forth the argument that NASCAR’s playoff system was severely flawed. The No. 22 driver made it to the Round of 8 by the sheer luck of Alex Bowman being disqualified in the Charlotte Roval and still fixed himself a Championship 4 spot. The postseason journey of yet another driver, Christopher Bell, adds strength to this contention.

Bell has been one of the most consistent drivers in 2024. He reached victory lane thrice during the regular season and has kept his form running in the playoffs.

His average finish rate in the playoffs so far stands taller than the rest of the field at 5.50. Despite all the top-5s and top-10s that he collected, he has not confirmed himself a seat to compete for the title in Phoenix yet.

This casts a looming question on the value of a driver bringing in top results consistently. A temporary high point from a driver trumps the season-long work of another in a single race under the current format.

The fans have made their discontent with this approach clear multiple times over the past. However, it is no surprise that NASCAR continues to stick to it.

Bell’s average finish rate of 5.50 is on its way to becoming the sixth-best playoff performance ever. Carl Edwards had an average finish of 4.90 in 2011. The story of how he still lost the title to Tony Stewart is well-known throughout the racing world.

Jeff Gordon posted an average finish of 5.10 in 2007, only to lose the title to teammate Jimmie Johnson. One can only hope that Bell doesn’t fall on these lines.

Can Bell still make the Championship 4 and win the title?

The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing driver is currently 29 points above the elimination line. Unless something drastic happens in Martinsville this weekend, his spot in the Championship 4 will come through. But the job will still be only half done. Bell’s challenge lies in the season finale at Phoenix.

He made it to the Championship 4 race in both 2022 and 2023. Team Penske ended up being his foe in both years with him losing the title to Logano and Ryan Blaney.

He will pray to break that curse this time. It is also interesting that the two drivers who have confirmed their seats for the finale as of now — Logano and Reddick — have far lower playoff average finish rates than Bell.

In many ways, he goes to Martinsville as a beacon of hope for the fans. Should he win the 2024 Cup Series championship, he will have proven that consistency still plays a crucial role in the success of a driver.