Harrison Burton emerged as the most unlikely playoff entrant last weekend by winning in Daytona. Earlier, Austin Dillon had nearly secured a seat as well with a victory in Richmond but NASCAR revoked his playoff eligibility. The possibility that such drivers who are on the lowest rungs of the driver standings can win a single race and be playoff-eligible has begun stirring talks about the Top 30 rule.
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The Top 30 rule was a regulation in place before the 2023 season. What it essentially enforces is that a driver has to be inside the top 30 in the drivers’ standings at the end of the regular season to be eligible for the playoffs, even if they’ve won a race. NASCAR was trying to prevent undeserving drivers from having the chance to compete for the championship through this method.
If the rule were in place now, Burton, who is currently 34th in the points table after his victory in Daytona, would more than likely not be eligible for the playoffs. With him and the Dillon case in hindsight, many are pitching for the Top 30 rule to be brought back. But is this the need of the hour? Not necessarily. A comparison with an alternate scenario could help gain clarity.
Daniel Hemric is currently 28th in the points table. Had he won in Daytona instead of Burton, would the playoff field be more competitive than it is with Burton in it? Absolutely not. The rule made sense when the field was bigger than it is now and there were more winners in a season. With the way things are now, there shouldn’t be any strings attached to a regular-season victory securing a playoff spot.
Drivers who came close to missing out on the playoffs because of the Top 30 rule
Front Row Motorsports driver Michael McDowell won the 2021 Daytona 500. He followed that up with a far less impressive regular season run and ran the risk of falling prey to the Top 30 rule. But he managed to finish 19th in the standings and made it into the playoffs safely. He did not remain there for long, getting eliminated in the very first round.
A.J. Allmendinger was racing for JTG Daugherty Racing when he won at Watkins Glen in 2014. The out-of-the-blue win almost ended up not mattering as he finished the regular season 23rd in points. He went on to end the season 13th in points with the help of a top-10 finish at Martinsville.
Chris Buescher is one driver who cut it the closest with the Top 30 rule. He won at Pocono back in 2016, his rookie year, driving for Front Row Motorsports. He was 31st in the standings entering the race and the win didn’t nudge him from the spot. But he finished the regular season 30th and barely scraped through to the playoffs.
