If you want something like the Latford System back, this isn’t going to be the slice of editorial you want to consume.
In a world in which finishing fifth is good enough, Sunday’s instant classic NASCAR Cup Series race at Homestead doesn’t happen. Translation: Spare us the Winston Cup Series points with two races remaining because this is Exhibit A when people say back that drivers wouldn’t race the same way under that format.
Matt Kenseth won that infamous 2003 championship by bludgeoning the field with top-10s and just the lone victory that came three weeks into that season. It was an admirable campaign, one absolutely deserving of the crown under the rules contested over 36 weeks.
Tyler Reddick won the race on Sunday and there wasn’t a lot of ‘had a good points day’ to go around. Maybe Christopher Bell but a winner from below the cutline next week could leave him ‘a good points day’ short of a third consecutive Final Four appearance too.
And that’s what made Sunday so dang compelling.
Reddick needed to win
Hamlin needed to win
Blaney needed to win
Larson doesn’t force it three-wide with Ryan Blaney while lapping Austin Dillon if the rewards for winning were not so much greater than having a good points day.
Reddick doesn’t stay out until he is running on fumes if the reward for winning wasn’t everything. Ditto Hamlin.
Blaney was dejected with finishing second because having a good points day, especially given the situation he found himself in, is no longer good enough come this point of the season.
Hamlin was dejected with finishing third because having a good points day, especially given the situation he found himself in, is no longer good enough come this point of the season.
So, when each of those storylines converged on Sunday at one of the absolute best tracks in the discipline, the result was captivating.
All race.
For those of you who like points racing, the stages delivered opportunities for those above the cutline to build their margin of error or for Hamlin and Reddick to attempt to overcome it, especially after Larson hit the wall with a flat tire and looked likely to fall below the cutline as a result.
The race featured urgency from the drop of the rag and then came the final restart. Look how the fortunes changed from lap-to-lap as nothing less than a win would matter for Hamlin, Blaney and Reddick as they battled each other for the win.
Two laps to go:
Joey Logano Adv.
Denny Hamlin Adv.
Christopher Bell +30
William Byron +8
—
Kyle Larson -8
Tyler Reddick -18
Ryan Blaney -38
Chase Elliott -43
One lap to go:
Joey Logano Adv.
Ryan Blaney Adv.
Christopher Bell +30
William Byron +7
—
Kyle Larson -7
Denny Hamlin -17
Tyler Reddick -18
Chase Elliott -43
The finish:
Joey Logano Adv.
Tyler Reddick Adv.
Christopher Bell +30
William Byron +7
—
Kyle Larson -7
Denny Hamlin -18
Ryan Blaney -38
Chase Elliott -43
It’s become a weekly narrative to this point, especially after how Logano won his way into the championship race, but there is something to be said in a sporting environment for placing teams into a small sample size pressure cooker in which the consequence and stakes are magnified.
A subsection of racing fans are loathe to accept the analogy but this is sports.
This is Freddy Freeman hitting a three-run walk-off home run in extra innings in Game One of the World Series. It’s the David Tyree helmet catch. It’s the Michael Jordan buzzer beater in Game One of the 1997 NBA Finals.
That’s what this system encourages, and even if you believe that racing championships should be decided by stacking good points days over 36 weeks, you still have to appreciate the sporting excellence of a team catching a break, executing in the most important moment and walking off to the championship race.
There is a purity here too, even if it’s not historical NASCAR purity.
Beyond that, this is the NASCAR format we all have right now, and while this is a topic for another day, this shouldn’t just be how a team advances into the championship race but Homestead-Miami Speedway is absolutely where it should be crowing a champion as soon as 2026.