Congratulations to Joey Logano on winning his third championship. He now sits with greats who have etched their names as three time champions.
There is only one issue with Logano’s championship.
For starters, this is to not take away from the 22 team’s title. Penske simply knows how to play the system. Why try in 25 of the first 26 races when a simple win will lock your team into the playoffs?
Logano’s lone victory during the regular season came at Nashville. He was running outside the top ten when the final lap came around. Luckily for the 22, five green-white-checkered finishes and gas mileage problems for the leaders gave the Pennzoil Ford the perfect opportunity to gain a win.
When the playoffs rolled around a switch was flipped. Logano won the first playoff race at Atlanta, locking himself into the round of 12.
The round of 12 was terrible for the 22. An average finish of 18.3 was not close to enough to advance as he finished ninth in points, one spot shy of advancing to the next round. But wait, Alex Bowman’s Ally Chevy did not meet the minimum weight requirement. The 48 was DQ’d and Logano took the spot.
A week before thinking the championship run was over, the 22 wins at Las Vegas locking himself into the championship race. We know the story from there.
So where did NASCAR go wrong? Why are fans so upset? Is this an illegitimate champion?
Logano won the championship the right way. Win races when it matters and hope for luck on your side. It was a great run for Team Penske in the playoffs and there is a reason they have now won three straight titles.
According to a Jeff Gluck X/Twitter poll, when asking fans about what championship format they like, 45% shared they want the original Chase system back, while 39% want the season long points format back, the Winston era style.
There is no majority in the fanbase, but the Chase system support trumps the other two opinions. The Chase system is where Jimmie Johnson won five straight titles, and seven total. People got bored of it quickly because Chad Knaus knew exactly how to play that format. It was similar to the playoffs. NASCAR kept changing the system until the playoffs system of today was developed.
For instance, what if the Winston points format stuck around? Jeff Gordon would be the one nicknamed seven-time and not Jimmie Johnson. For the 2024 season though, it would have been legendary.
According to X user @NWCS_Standings, IF the Winston format were in use for the 2024 campaign, Christopher Bell would be the champion by only a margin of five points. Back in August, Bell was sitting at -426. Now it is easy to argue that many drivers who make the playoffs worry about consistency and winning, like a 2003 Matt Kenseth, but it still shows that the old format can produce fun seasons. Not to mention since 2021 the largest point deficit between first and second was only 68 points to end a season.
The playoffs system is gimmicky, but that is the point. NASCAR has struggled to compete against the MLB, NFL and CFB for almost 15 years now. The reason systems like the playoffs were invented was to bring eyes to the sport. Frankly, it has done that. Hail Melon 2022, all thanks to the playoffs, Kenseth wrecking Logano, thanks to the playoffs. The question becomes “do these moments outweigh another system”. I would argue no.
I do not believe that the playoffs should be changed entirely. I do believe that win and in is only asking for disaster though. Drivers deserve to have their chance. Why should a driver who finished 14th in points have a shot over a Bubba Wallace who finished the season in 11th? Taking a step in the right direction is eliminating the win and in policy for the postseason.
A final change needed is the length of the rounds. A champion should not be decided in one race. This is not the Piston Cup we are talking about. The final round should be longer and based solely on points.
NASCAR has no plans of changing the system. As a fan of the sport, get used to seeing Team Penske winning the championship, just like the 48 in the late 2000s. Someday the sport will come around, but for now we are just “bots” and not fans who want what is best for the sport.