It is beyond question that the 16 drivers who made the playoffs this season weren’t the best performers of the year. Many in the entire field were exemplary throughout the regular season and put up consistent finishes through all 26 races. And yet, they did not make the cut for the sole reason of not having a win. One among the unlucky lot is Trackhouse Racing driver Ross Chastain.
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The #1 Chevrolet Camaro driver has the most top-15 finishes (22) after 29 races this season. He rode the bubble for a major part of the regular season and ultimately missed out on landing a spot courtesy of drivers like Harrison Burton, Austin Cindric, and Daniel Suarez who did nothing spectacular apart from winning a single race on one good day.
This puts the duality of the current playoff format in clear view. Many icons like Kevin Harvick have argued for this precise reason that playoff qualification shouldn’t come down to winning a race and there ought to be more variables in place. At the end of the day, the goal is to see the best 16 drivers competing for the title in the postseason, and the current qualification method doesn’t facilitate that.
Top 15 Finish in 2024 (Through 29 Races) pic.twitter.com/Ee8rgebZEq
— Trey Ryan (@TreyRyan99) September 27, 2024
No argument needs to be made about the fact that Chastain, Chris Buescher, and Bubba Wallace would’ve made great additions to the playoffs. But consistency can’t possibly live up to the clout of winning a race in today’s world which is rather unfortunate. Harvick was brutally honest about this on the Harvick Happy Hour podcast back in August.
“The #21 [Harrison Burton] is not making a run in the playoffs. The #99 [Daniel Suarez] is not making a run in the playoffs. No. They are just some of those guys that have won a race. Austin Cindric is not making a run in the playoffs. So, I just think we are wasting spots.” Hard to argue with this point of view when Burton has already crashed out of the playoffs in the first round.
Martin Truex Jr.’s 2022 regular season campaign is another glaring example of the same. He secured 12 top-10 finishes only to not make the playoffs. Chastain’s best finish in the 2024 regular season was fourth in Las Vegas.
He finished fifth in Sonoma, Richmond, and Darlington. His run might not have been as flauntable as Buescher’s but it was one of stability. And he deserved to be in the playoffs ahead of his teammate Suarez. It remains to be seen if Chastain can finish this season off with a win during the postseason, even if he is not competing for the ultimate prize.
