Following Joey Logano’s victory at Las Vegas, which catapulted him as the first driver into the Championship 4, fans have reignited debates over NASCAR’s playoff system. Kyle Larson, despite leading the season with six wins, finds himself in third place in the playoff standings.
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Logano, who had edged into the Round of 8 due to Alex Bowman’s post-race disqualification, has now secured a spot in the season’s finale showdown at Phoenix with just three wins this season. The scenario has led fans to criticize the structure of NASCAR’s playoffs, highlighting how it allows drivers who may not have had a stellar season to be champions.
One fan expressed their discontent in response to a post on X by NASCAR and stated, “No one should take the Nascar Playoffs seriously Logano only got 6 top 5s all year and he’s racing for a championship – he only got into this round because of a disqualification last race I don’t think the sport’s ever reached this low before.”
Others flocked to the comments section to share their views. Many feel that the system fails to adequately reward consistency and instead overemphasizes victories in the playoffs. One fan reflected, “Ryan Newman almost winning the championship in 2014 without winning any races I think is still the worst, but this is up there.”
Another NASCAR enthusiast chimed in, “Real fans stopped taking it seriously when Newman nearly won with no wins.” One more added, “the more I get into nascar the more I realize it’s the most gimmicky and unserious racing series ever.”
Yet another fan lamented, “3 years in a row the least performing driver on average finishes has gone home with the championship. And that’s just in Cup. We’re way past the low stage at this point.”
No one should take the Nascar Playoffs seriously
Logano only got 6 top 5s all year and he’s racing for a championship – he only got into this round because of a disqualification last race
I don’t think the sport’s ever reached this low before https://t.co/QhDkN1keAJ
— Fifth Gear (@NotFifthGear) October 20, 2024
The current system casts doubt on whether the true “best” driver claims the championship and diminishes the thrill in races where elimination isn’t a threat. It seems to favor fleeting brilliance over year-long mastery, which has left many fans and NASCAR drivers feeling dissatisfied with how champions are determined.
When Denny Hamlin took a dig at Ryan Blaney’s NASCAR Cup Championship win
Last season, Ryan Blaney clinched the championship with a tally of three wins, eight top-5 finishes, and 18 top-10s. William Byron, who secured six victories, nine top-5s, and 14 top-10 finishes, only ascended to P3 in the final standings. Reflecting on this outcome, Denny Hamlin expressed his views in an episode of the Actions Detrimental podcast.
He hinted at the skewed nature of the championship criteria, “You got to just be good at Phoenix now. I mean, is that the new riddle to the championship? It appears that riddle works. It’s just, focus on a couple of races.”
It’s evident that it’s not only the fans who question the fairness of the current system — drivers too are voicing that the championship might be slipping into the hands of those who peak late rather than those who perform consistently throughout the season.
