Last year, Denny Hamlin asked the press to name one driver who believed that the NASCAR Cup Series championships carry the same value as they did ten years ago. None could give him an answer then, and none can yet. Kyle Larson has now further strengthened the contention by making his thoughts about the state of things even clearer.
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The Hendrick Motorsports driver recently told his team media, “If anything, I just think the [playoff] format, in a way, devalues a championship. Especially in the Next-Gen era.” The playoff format is what took away Larson’s chances of winning the 2024 championship despite him being the most dominant driver all season.
He secured six victory lane visits and several other top finishes only to get knocked out in the Round of 8. He further added, “I really wasn’t that upset during the week of Phoenix because I knew no matter the result, we were going to end the season with the most wins. And to me, these days, that’s as important as winning a championship.”
This character to value wins as equal to or more than a championship is strikingly similar to the thought process that Hamlin displayed in Dover last year. He told the press, “I absolutely would take 60-some wins and no championship over 20 and one. It’s just not even close.” Such opinions put a strong light on the need for format revisions.
If veterans like Hamlin and Larson don’t care about winning championships any longer, there would be little interest left in following year-long seasons. Interestingly, the bridge between the words of Hamlin and Larson is Joey Logano’s third championship, which no one expected him to win.
How Logano bridged the opinions of Hamlin and Larson
Logano was a huge underperformer in 2024. He struggled to find the pace in his #22 Ford Mustang. However, he made it to the playoffs through a win in Nashville and kept his hopes alive through momentary good performances, especially when they mattered the most. Luck ended up favoring him a lot in crucial junctures as well.
Following Alex Bowman’s Round of 12 disqualification in the Charlotte Roval, Logano got his seat to the next round. He used the opportunity to his advantage and ended up reaching the Championship 4 to eventually win the title. His progress is what the majority of the racing community believes is wrong with the system.
He was one of the most inconsistent drivers all year and still got ahead of the likes of Larson and Bowman, who were more consistent and dominant. It is doubtful if Larson would’ve echoed Hamlin’s sentiments had it not been for Logano’s success. The governance’s reluctance to change the format continues for now, with no change in trend coming shortly.
