By Michael Pedro
Champion. What does that word mean? By definition, it is one who has surpassed all rivals in competition, especially in the sporting world.
Every season of competition, sports name their champions, most of which deserve the title undoubtedly. I use the word ‘most’ and not ‘all,’ because sometimes, the champion doesn’t quite deserve their title. No matter where you look, every sport has at least one undeserving champion. This year, one sport in particular has crowned arguably one of the most egregious offenders of the word ‘champion.’ The sport in question is none other than the top series in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or NASCAR. They crowned Joey Logano as their champion on November 10, 2024, at Phoenix Raceway. While Logano’s championship victories in 2018 and 2022 were deserved in some way, this third one is anything but, and it’s a sign that something in NASCAR’s format needs to change.
To figure out just how broken the format is, we’ll need to look at a few aspects of Logano’s season, such as his average finish across the entire 36-race season, as well as other statistics from the “regular” season, which encompasses the first 26 races of the season that occur before the 10-race Playoffs, a format adopted by NASCAR ten years ago in 2014. After Phoenix, Logano’s average finish was roughly 17th, the lowest of any NASCAR champion in recent memory. In a field of anywhere from 36 to 40 cars each week, this doesn’t seem bad at first glance, but when the highest average finish across all full-time drivers this year is 11.7, you start to see why people had issues with Logano’s title.
Heading into the Playoffs, Logano was seeded ninth due to a victory at Nashville in June that saw him save just enough fuel to finish the race after a whopping five overtime restarts. Had he not won this race, by virtue of NASCAR’s “win and you’re in” Playoffs system, Logano likely would have missed the Playoffs entirely. He’s not the only one to benefit from this system this season, either. Drivers like Daniel Suárez and Austin Cindric, who won when the odds were stacked against them, also managed to pull through with wins and last through to round two of the Playoffs. Even Harrison Burton, who was near last in the regular season’s standings, pulled off an upset win at Daytona the week before the Playoffs grid was set, only to be eliminated in the first round.
During the Playoffs, Logano’s luck was nothing short of amazing. He won the first round’s opening race at Atlanta, securing him a spot in the next round. In the second round, he would have been eliminated on points, but after Alex Bowman’s car failed post-race inspection for being too light, he would barely squeak by into the next round. He’d win the following week at Las Vegas, securing him the ability to fight for the championship in Phoenix. In the Phoenix race, he’d dominate, scrapping with teammate Ryan Blaney throughout the race as both drivers fought for a title. In the end, Logano would clinch his third championship, sparking much controversy and outrage online. He’d end the season with thirteen top-ten finishes, of which seven were top-five results.
This isn’t meant to be a critique of Joey Logano. He played the game NASCAR made and won, so he should at least get credit where it’s due. Instead, it’s a critique of NASCAR’s Playoffs format. How can this sport be considered legitimate when the driver who scores the twelfth-most points in a full-season format ends up taking home the trophy at the end of the season? It’s not a good look for any organization. Is there any light at the end of the tunnel? It seems there may be. Later on in the week, higher-ups in the organization admitted to being open to changing the Playoffs format. The fans want change, and to see NASCAR openly admitting they’d be interested in changing the format, even if slightly, is huge. Hopefully, NASCAR can make adequate updates to the format to keep fans engaged with the sport for years to come.
