NASCAR obtained 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 Sequence 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 type of story NASCAR values in its champions.
It’s onerous to name Crew Penske an underdog, particularly after they get caught with cheaty webbed gloves, however isn’t that the type 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 feel you’re only a whiner in case you disagree. I want to situation an unequivocal congratulations to three-time champ Joey Logano, he deserved it. He’d have had a better ending common if he hadn’t been dumped by dickhead Austin Dillon at Richmond, too, however that’s not a battle 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,” mentioned Logano. “However the playoff system in different sports activities will not be a lot totally different than what that is. You may have a fantastic 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 allow you to. It’s the identical means in NASCAR, the best way we’ve the principles 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 twenty years, kind of 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, type of like how a successful soccer staff would get a greater championship seed. Logano’s win at Nashville in June obtained him into the Spherical of 16, his Las Vegas and Atlanta wins throughout the playoffs obtained 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 subsequent spherical,” continued the champ. “So for somebody to say this isn’t actual, it’s a bunch of bullshit in my view. That’s unsuitable. That is one thing that everybody is aware of the principles when the season begins. We discovered the way to do it the very 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 all the way 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 prime six at Phoenix, and the championship would have gone to whichever of them completed on prime.
“…Those who simply obtained to just accept what the instances are,” concluded Logano. “Occasions change, proper? And I don’t know when you have numerous the moments that we’ve as we speak with out the playoff system that we’ve. 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 obtained do-or-die moments. You’ve obtained the strain. You’ve obtained all this stuff occurring the final 10 weeks. You may have guys making an attempt to get into the playoffs.
“You may have that storyline. What number of storylines may we make? It’s wonderful. 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 Sequence and Truck Sequence, and it’s onerous for me to speak concerning the Cup Sequence 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 evening. That’s entertaining stuff. I’m glued to my TV, particularly much more throughout the playoffs than I’m throughout the common season. What’s unsuitable with that? Golly, man. I don’t know. Makes me mad, sorry. I’m not sorry.”
“I’ve obtained a fairly candy trophy proper now. I’ll be laughing all the best way to the financial institution.”
NASCAR followers, are you not entertained?
