NASCAR has overcome COVID-19 to keep their playoff schedule on track (literally). There were double-headers, mid-week races and giving some tracks additional races while having to eliminate others. The Cup Series playoffs kicked off with last weekend’s Southern 500. The Gander RV & Outdoor Trucks Series will end its regular season on Thursday night in Richmond. The same track will host an XFINITY Series double-header this weekend, leaving just one race in the regular season for that series.
And so, by next weekend, we should know the 16 drivers racing for a Cup championship, the 12 racing for the XFINITY championship and the 10 racing for the Truck Series championship. (By next weekend, we should also know which three Cup drivers will be eliminated after the first round.)
Combining all three series, that’s 38 drivers who will compete for a championship. My question is: Is 38 too many? If you think about it, that’s the equivalent of a Cup field for an entire race (give or take).
I will apologize for not knowing exactly who said this but last year on Twitter, a NASCAR journalist (a Bob Pockrass or Jeff Gluck-type but I’m not sure who) was asked if the number of top drivers left out of the Gander RV & Outdoor Trucks playoffs should cause NASCAR to increase the number of drivers making the playoffs. (At the time there were only 8 drivers who made the playoffs, the number has been increased to ten.) The journalist replied that, if anything, that should be an incentive to decrease the number of drivers making the field.
The nameless journalist made a great point. It shouldn’t almost be a given that every driver from a top NASCAR team makes playoffs. In fact, I don’t necessarily think a win should guarantee a spot in the playoffs. (And yes, this is coming from someone who likes the idea that a freak win by someone like a Cole Custer brings some fresh faces to the playoffs.)
Instead of teams getting a win or two early and then running mid-pack the rest of the year and basically stumbling their way from the regular season to the playoffs, make these teams earn their way in – and for that matter – earn their way through the playoffs to the Final Four.
Nowhere more than the XFINITY Series is the need for cutting down on the number of drivers who make the playoffs more apparent. Year in and year out, there is never any suspense about those hovering around the cutline. In fact, that area of the standings are inevitably populated by those drivers who are all but ignored for 99% of the racing telecasts. (The only time their names are spoken are when they are put a lap down by one of the Cup drivers that need to have their egos stroked by competing in the XFINITY Series, or if they spin to bring out a caution.)
As of this writing, Brandon Brown has 45 point cushion above the cutline. Jeremy Clements, Myatt Snyder and Josh Williams – none of whom are threats to win the championship – are the first three drivers below the cutline, and one shouldn’t expect them to get an upset win to make the playoffs.
And it’s like that, every year! Every year, you look at the names just above and below the cutline and think “Who are these guys? Have they done anything this year?” In 2020, admittedly, Brandon Brown has been a bit of a feel-good story as his father has battled cancer and as someone who has been in the same boat, I can give Brown the nod to make the playoffs over anyone else.
By the way, it is telling that only six drivers below the cutline have competed in all 23 regular season races.
Meanwhile, you cut the number of playoff drivers back to ten, and Brown and Riley Herbst don’t make the playoffs. And you might say that doesn’t really raise the level of suspense, as neither is usually in position for the upset win.
But, you cut it back to eight and then Michael Annett and Ryan Sieg are out, and Ross Chastain is on the cutline, albeit with a substantial point cushion.
While I highly doubt that NASCAR would change the playoff format to only allow for eight drivers, such a situation would set up a scenario where Michael Annett (of the powerhouse JR Motorsports stable) could win and knock Chastain. The same Chastain who would otherwise be in a good position to get to the Final Four and challenge the favourites – Austin Cindric and Chase Briscoe.
See, it’s stories like that which make NASCAR interesting. Even if no one expects Annett to win, just the “threat” for him to play spoiler would make more people interested in the cutoff race than the current “Yeah, we can pretty much pencil in the playoff brackets with three races left!” situation we currently find ourselves in.
But you look at the Truck Series, which has ten drivers making the playoffs. There are still several drivers, including Stewart Friesen and Johnny Sauter who need to either win and drop someone below the cutline or face not making the playoffs. In 2019, it might have been inconceivable for Friesen and Sauter to not already be all but locked into the playoffs. At the same time, there’s a good points battle between Tyler Ankrum, Todd Gilliland and Derek Kraus should make for an interesting regular season finale at Richmond.
Had the number of drivers making the playoffs remained at eight, you could have added Christian Eckes into the mix, but also 2018 Brett Moffitt into the mix of drivers who may or may not make it into the playoffs.
On the Cup side of things, the importance of uncertainty about “who’s in, who’s out” was certainly on display and at a track as unpredictable as Daytona no less. No matter who was out front, all eyes were on eventual winner William Byron, Jimmie Johnson and Matt DiBenedetto.
First of all, I’m not suggesting Cup scales back to just eight contenders (it would probably need to expand its season by a few weeks and end up eliminating at least three drivers who had regular season wins). However, if only the Top 12 get in – or rather 8, since Byron, Bowman, Custer and Dillon would get in via wins – then Jimmie Johnson’s quest for an eighth championship would have all but ended – save a last minute win ala William Byron, thus robbing NASCAR of a great storyline at Daytona.
Meanwhile, if I am reading the Points Report correctly, that would have put Aric Almirola on the cutline, with 2019 Champion Kyle Busch 35 points below. Can you imagine the shockwaves that would have spread out across NASCAR when the checkered flag on the regular season waved and Kyle Busch was going to be out of playoff contention?
But that’s the point I am trying to make. While it may seem easy for NASCAR and it’s media outlet to build up Kyle Busch as NASCAR’s greatest driver (using a win total that is made up of 3/4 wins of races he shouldn’t have been competing against) but even the biggest Busch supporters in the NASCAR media are admitting that he’s having a season to forget. Therefore, the way he is currently performing, is he really worthy of a playoff berth? Or is Busch just taking advantage of a cushion available due to the number of drivers able to make the playoffs?
The playoffs should not be a given if you race for a big enough team. It should not be every Penske, Gibbs, Stewart-Haas, and Hendrick driver (unless something drastic happens like Jimmie Johnson’s 2020 season or Eric Jones getting the boot for 2021) automatic birthright to make the playoffs.
Championship drivers should have to step up and win races and perform at a high level from start to finish. This is why I like the playoff format over the old point system. Instead of knowing the outcome of the season multiple races in advance of the final race, the championship now comes down as close to the last lap of the last race as possible.
All we need to do now is pare down an obviously bloated playoff system. Make it 8 drivers for the Trucks and XFINITY and 12 for Cup. It would make the regular season a lot more exciting and ensure the best of the best vie for a championship.
johnmilner.ca 