Bob Goshert/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
NASCAR’s playoff system has been a topic of conversation for years since the introduction of playoff points, rounds, and the mindset of making the playoffs with a single victory.
Would Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. potentially missing the playoffs expose the system?
NASCAR’s playoff system takes 16 drivers that are eligible and sort them into a re-ordered standings that goes by playoff points over the course of the season.
Drivers can make the playoffs in three ways. If a driver wins a race, has enough points, or is the regular season champion, they will be eligible for the 10-race sprint at the end of the year.
Each round of the playoff goes by three events with four drivers being eliminated at the end of each one. Then, the four remaining drivers battle for the championship at Phoenix Raceway.
Every single year has seen someone make it on points alone. However, this might not be the case depending on the final three races of the 2022 regular season.
Could the playoff format be exposed in the coming weeks or is the format correct and just a consequence of drivers’ not being able to seal a race victory?
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NASCAR’s regular season has three races left before the playoffs start at Darlington Raceway in September. There is only one spot open in the playoff grid, which means there could be 18 winners.
Most notably, Ryan Blaney and Martin Truex Jr. are two drivers without a victory. Blaney is currently 19 points above Truex in the playoff standings, which means the driver of the No. 19 car is out as of today.
It is crazy to think that Truex may not make the playoffs because he currently sits fourth in the points standings. That would be the highest driver in points to not make the playoffs in the system’s history.
The situation could get even wilder if Blaney doesn’t make the playoffs with another new winner in the final three races of the season, including at Daytona International Speedway.
Blaney sits second in the points standings. There’s a possibility the 28-year-old driver could miss the playoffs despite finishing second in the regular-season standings.
Blaney would not have a victory, but he would be one spot in the standings away from clinching a spot due to winning the regular season title. It would be a wild occurrence in the modern system.
For example, the 30th driver in the standings could win at Daytona in the regular season finale and make it over Blaney. A driver in the late 20s or 30th in the standings would likely do nothing in the playoffs.
Due to this possible scenario, it creates a needed question about NASCAR’s current format. Is the value of a victory too strong compared to the value of consistency involving the playoff system?
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The NASCAR playoff system may have its benefits but it also might have some flaws. Is it right for Ryan Blaney or Martin Truex Jr. to possibly miss the playoffs this season?
The value of winning a race might be too important nowadays, but there should be methods to prevent certain scenarios from occurring over the course of the year.
The top-30 in points are eligible to make the playoffs if they secure a race victory, but that needs to be changed to the top-20 in the points to help the competition in the playoffs.
It wouldn’t change the current outlook, but it would help prevent a lack of competition in the playoffs by a winner outside of the top-20 in the points standings.
So, is it fair for Blaney or Truex to possibly miss the playoffs? It might not seem fair on the surface, but the value of winning an event is so important in this day and age.
The playoffs should represent the best 16 drivers over the first 26 races of the season and in this current format, that is not the case. There are two sides to the argument.
Winning races should be rewarded but the most consistent drivers deserve to have a shot at the championship. Maybe, there is a way to make each party content.
However, as of now, the best way to make the playoffs is through a victory and it’s likely not changing anytime soon. It’s a crazy season and crazy seasons produce extraordinary results in NASCAR.
It’s also a question that will continue to be asked in the coming weeks and there is no right answer.
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