NASCAR acquired the season-ending “Sport 7 Second” it has been chasing since instituting the Playoffs factors system in 2004 final weekend, and followers are fairly pissed off about it. The 2024 Cup Collection champion, Joey Logano, secured his third title with the worst common season-long ending place in NASCAR historical past. Throughout the complete season Logano completed in a mean place of 17.1, securing simply 4 race victories (plus an All-Star Race win). It was a come-from-behind victory that noticed him win when it really mattered, and that’s precisely the form of story NASCAR values in its champions.
It’s onerous to name Workforce Penske an underdog, particularly after they get caught with cheaty webbed gloves, however isn’t that the form of factor you hope to see? What extra may you need from a racing sequence than a champion who discovered his footing because the season went on after which all however swept the post-season championship video games? This was cool to observe, and I believe you’re only a whiner in case you disagree. I want to subject an unequivocal congratulations to three-time champ Joey Logano, he deserved it. He’d have had the next ending common if he hadn’t been dumped by dickhead Austin Dillon at Richmond, too, however that’s not a combat y’all need to have proper now.
“To your level about championships and what it’s, the one cause why they don’t say this about different sports activities is as a result of they didn’t change the playoff system,” stated Logano. “However the playoff system in different sports activities just isn’t a lot completely different than what that is. You possibly can have an ideal common season. It seeds you higher for the playoffs. That doesn’t imply you’re assured to go all the best way to the Tremendous Bowl or the Stanley Cup Finals or the NBA Finals. It doesn’t matter. It would provide help to. It’s the identical approach in NASCAR, the best way now we have the foundations now, is that you just set your self up significantly better.”
NASCAR has been making an attempt to get late-season warmth baked into its championships for 20 years, roughly copying what stick and ball sports activities have achieved. The common season doesn’t actually matter when you enter the playoffs, as your in-season factors reset, although you get bonuses and automated entries for race wins, form of like how a successful soccer staff would get a greater championship seed. Logano’s win at Nashville in June acquired him into the Spherical of 16, his Las Vegas and Atlanta wins through the playoffs acquired him sufficient factors to enter the championship 4.
“They’ve the identical alternative to go on the market and win and transfer on to the following spherical,” continued the champ. “So for somebody to say this isn’t actual, it’s a bunch of bullshit in my view. That’s fallacious. That is one thing that everybody is aware of the foundations when the season begins. We discovered the way to do it one of the best and discovered the way to win. It’s what our staff has been in a position to do for the final three years.”
The championship went right down to the wire, and successful the Championship Race at Phoenix final weekend was precisely what Logano wanted to do to get his trophy. Championship contenders William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Tyler Reddick all completed within the high six at Phoenix, and the championship would have gone to whichever of them completed on high.
“…Folks that simply acquired to just accept what the occasions are,” concluded Logano. “Instances change, proper? And I don’t know you probably have quite a lot of the moments that now we have at this time with out the playoff system that now we have. Do you need to see the championship crown with three races to go? As a result of that’s what used to occur. That’s fairly boring. You’ve acquired do-or-die moments. You’ve acquired the strain. You’ve acquired all this stuff occurring the final 10 weeks. You’ve got guys making an attempt to get into the playoffs.
“You’ve got that storyline. What number of storylines may we make? It’s superb. For folks to complain, it makes me mad. It makes me pissed off to listen to that. Gosh, it’s superior. I watch the Xfinity Collection and Truck Collection, and it’s onerous for me to speak concerning the Cup Collection as a result of I’m in it, however I watch these as a fan, whether or not it’s from the sales space or simply on TV, like I did final night time. That’s entertaining stuff. I’m glued to my TV, particularly much more through the playoffs than I’m through the common season. What’s fallacious with that? Golly, man. I don’t know. Makes me mad, sorry. I’m not sorry.”
“I’ve acquired a reasonably candy trophy proper now. I’ll be laughing all the best way to the financial institution.”
NASCAR followers, are you not entertained?