Whereas the NASCAR playoff format has change into a proverbial punching bag for individuals lately, and generally unfairly so, what occurred final weekend at Martinsville is 100% a byproduct of it. The NASCAR playoffs are structured in a method in order that title favorites like Kyle Larson can simply be knocked out of championship competition and drivers with so-so seasons like Joey Logano get to combat for the crown. And that is not a knock towards Logano, who has as soon as once more nailed this all or nothing format. Do not hate the participant, hate the sport.
And the sport deserved loads of hate after Martinsville. This wasn’t a teammate pushing one other to the win at Talladega, however a blatant try to bend the end result to at least one producer or one other’s will. The drivers concerned weren’t even on the identical workforce because the drivers who benefitted from shenanigans, however producers have a lot sway over the game now, Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon cannot even take into consideration taking that place from William Byron, despite the fact that they’re racers — they wish to end as excessive as doable. Then there’s Bubba Wallace who claimed one thing was fallacious together with his automobile, however clearly, NASCAR noticed that declare as race manipulation as effectively.
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These are two issues colliding without delay — the ever-tightening alignment between groups of the identical producer, and NASCAR’s present championship format displaying the uglier facet of that.
None of what occurred on that remaining lap was racing, and it was solely taking place due to this format. NASCAR’s newest format forces Sport 7 moments main to those conditions the place drivers are put in uncomfortable positions the place they must be extra frightened in regards to the playoff drivers and what’s taking place of their race than what’s taking place in their very own. And on account of how tightly aligned groups are actually by producer loyalty, it is like three tremendous groups on the market — Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota — on the monitor at this level of the season.
Hey, if it was the No. 48 HMS Chevy of Alex Bowman behind Byron, I really feel like I would be much less annoyed with all of this. In fact a teammate goes to assist, similar to Ryan Blaney performed blocker for Logano within the 2022 title-decider as a substitute of going for the win himself. However why ought to Dillon and Chastain have to fret about Byron? As a result of all of them drive for a similar automobile make and that supersedes the whole lot else in 2024. Individuals are mad at these drivers, however what alternative did they’ve?
#24: William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports, Liberty College Chevrolet Camaro, #3: Austin Dillon, Richard Childress Racing, Bass Professional Outlets Chevrolet Camaro
Picture by: John Okay Harrelson / NKP / Motorsport Photographs
Bear in mind how Parker Retzlaff confronted criticism as a result of he tried to win at Daytona earlier this 12 months? He needed to publicly clarify why a younger driver in a automobile that hardly ever contends for race wins tried to win a race. And why? As a result of his late-race push to Harrison Burton value fellow Chevy driver Kyle Busch a win — and an computerized playoff berth. Even followers had been mad!
This insanity has now bled into the fanbase, who absolutely anticipate producer allegiances to trump the whole lot else in these important races. And what what occurred at Martinsville will not cease except NASCAR places a cease to it. These factors penalties and fines and one-race suspensions for the dangerous actors aren’t going to cease this. Like in 2022, when NASCAR issued a penalty to Stewart-Haas Racing for a similar factor. In the event that they needed to make an actual assertion, they might have thrown the No. 24 and the No. 20 out of the Championship 4 on Sunday evening. SpinGate in 2013 didn’t finish with Clint Bowyer’s penalty. NASCAR took Martin Truex Jr. — who benefitted from the interference however had nothing to do with it — and eliminated him from the playoffs.
That is extra in regards to the format itself however individuals had been shocked when Chastain selected to race for the win final 12 months at Phoenix as a substitute of bowing to the Championship 4 drivers. If drivers cannot race for the win, why are the non-contenders even on the market “competing?” Would possibly as effectively simply race with the title contenders and nobody else just like the 2006 Vehicles film.
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