The 36-race grind, with only one weekend off, weighs heavily on NASCAR drivers. It’s not just the wheel-to-wheel racing that drains them. Between sponsor appearances, media duties, family time, and weekly simulator sessions, their plates stay full from February to November. Several drivers have even floated the idea of shorter seasons or at least an extra break midyear. According to Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, the playoffs help keep the fire burning and stave off burnout.
Advertisement
At Talladega, fortune turned its back on Larson when his tank ran dry half a lap from the finish, leaving him P26, ahead of two more races. Asked if the playoffs make the grueling season easier to endure, the Hendrick Motorsports driver said, “Yeah, I mean, I think still being in the playoffs and competing for a championship distracts you from the grind in a way or that it has been as long as it has been since we’ve had a break.
“I think the guys who didn’t make the playoffs or who got knocked out in a round, yeah, they’re probably just counting down the days until the season is over. But for us, we’re still in it, so I haven’t really felt like I want the year to be over. But yeah, it’s definitely a long year… it always is.”
Larson added that even if NASCAR tossed in another weekend off, the season would still feel long. He admitted the strain hits the crew harder than the drivers, given their ruthless schedules and long shop hours, especially this deep into the playoffs. While he wouldn’t mind another breather, he knows the toll runs deepest on the mechanics who live and breathe it every day.
Bell, who finished eighth at Talladega and carries the most cushion points among the rest of the six playoff drivers, still not locked into the championship 4, heading into the Martinsville elimination race, echoed Larson’s thoughts.
He acknowledged that the struggle catches up with everyone around this time of year, “If it wasn’t for the Playoffs and being in the thick of racing for championship.”
“Unfortunately, I’ve been in this position for a number of years in a row now, but yeah, I couldn’t imagine being knocked out of the Playoffs and not being able to race to the championship and being so close to the end. For me personally, this has been a really, really long stretch of races, and I’m sure that most of the industry would say that.”
Bell pointed out that their only off-week fell early, during Easter, making this late-season stretch feel especially taxing. Still, with the championship on the line, Bell believes every driver in the playoff mix is completely focused and fully locked in. The burnout may hit hard once the checkered flag waves at season’s end, but for now, as Bell put it, they’re “all in.”
