Despite the apparent uproar amongst the community after the final Round of 8 race at Martinsville this Sunday, Kyle Larson did not seem to be too bothered by what transpired during the 2024 Xfinity 500.
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The Hendrick Motorsports driver was eliminated during the 500-lap-long event ending his chances of challenging for the title this year. While the on-track action by drivers as well as manufacturer alliances left fans of the sport with a frustrated outlook, the #5 Chevrolet driver did not necessarily align with the same sentiment.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver Christopher Bell’s Ross Chastain-esque wall ride coupled with Chevrolet teammates defending William Byron during the event saw several people question the integrity of racing in NASCAR, which incidentally comes from the ‘win and you’re in’ format.
However, Larson did not agree with the same sentiment and pinned his elimination on his own performance and elaborated after the event.
“We had a lot of bonus points, we had 20 more than the next guy. We just had two unfortunate races. I think the wins do benefit you a lot. I don’t want to say there’s anything wrong with the format. You just can’t have two bad races in the Round of 8.”
Results from Martinsville Speedway. Kyle Larson does not advance to the Final 4.#kylelarson #Nascar #nascarcupseries #larson #hendrickmotorsports #kylelarsonracing #Martinsville pic.twitter.com/iFMoSsDj73
— Larson Land (@LarsonLand) November 3, 2024
Larson joins Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, and Christopher Bell as the quartet are eliminated from the title fight this year.
NASCAR fans wholeheartedly disagree
While Kyle Larson might think of his playoff fortunes as something of his own doing, fans of the sport who looked at the bigger picture did not seem to take such an objective approach. Several opinions from the community rained in on social media, with the underlying sentiment remaining the same.
“Not watching this rigged shit anymore. F**king joke of a sport,” exclaimed one fan, seemingly distraught. “Larson should be in final 4. So rigged,” chimed in another.
Not watching this rigged shit anymore. Fucking joke of a sport.
— Harvey Updyke (@SCHD2THEMOON) November 3, 2024
One fan further opined, “The 4 best drivers in nascar eliminated absolutely can’t stand this playoff format in the end of the race is exactly why the playoff system needs to change racing is all about consistency in any other series except for NASCAR,” touching on how the talent pool consisted of some of the best drivers of the field.
The same sentiment was backed up by another viewer, who wrote, “The 4 best drivers eliminated.” Nevertheless, four drivers will be competing for the ultimate prize in stock car racing come Sunday, November 10, 2024, at Phoenix Raceway.
While the underlying sentiment will not affect the outcome nor the prestige of the same, it might be detrimental to the sport in the long run.
