NASCAR Xfinity, Truck Series playoff eligibility requirements must change
By Mark Kristl
NASCAR Xfinity and Truck Series playoff eligibility mandates that drivers attempt all races. This requirement needs to change.
The requirements for eligibility for the NASCAR playoffs are the same for all three major NASCAR series. Drivers must attempt all races and be in the top 30 in the point standings. The playoff berths go to drivers who won at least one race during the regular season and then the highest remaining drivers in the point standings. A total of 16 playoff berths are earned in the Cup Series, 12 in the Xfinity Series and eight in the Truck Series.
But the requirement to attempt all races needs to be eliminated. That said, NASCAR should keep the top 30 in the point standings requirement for the NASCAR Cup Series. With the 36 charters, there are 36 full-time cars. This requirement for the Cup Series is justifiable.
However, for the Xfinity Series, drivers should have to finish the regular season in the top 25 in the point standings to be eligible for the playoffs and Truck Series drivers should have to finish the regular season in the top 20 in the point standings to be eligible for the playoffs.
Competing in every race should have nothing to do with playoff eligibility.
Some analysis of the point standings will support my suggestion. First, the difference in the Xfinity Series point standings at the end of the regular season between 25th and 30th place is 46 points (241 to 195).
Not in the top 25 but in the top 30 in the point standings are full-time drivers Spencer Boyd and Vinnie Miller. While they are both rookies, should they be eligible for the playoffs in spite of their struggles because they attempted every race? NASCAR should instead reward the drivers who finish better, even if they do not attempt every race.
Next, there was a 69-point margin between 20th and 30th place in the Truck Series point standings at the end of the regular season (176 to 107). Following the most recent Truck Series race, the 2018 World of Westgate 200, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, only 13 drivers have attempted every race on the schedule.
Eight drivers made the Truck Series playoffs. Instead of having only 13 (14 since Noah Gragson was granted a playoff waiver because of the fact that he missed the race at Pocono Raceway in late July due to an illness) drivers eligible to make the Truck Series playoffs, six more drivers could have had that opportunity. With my idea, even if either of those drivers won in the regular season, they would be ineligible to compete in the playoffs.
My idea also eliminates much of the subjectivity of playoff waivers. I completely support NASCAR in their suspension of Spencer Gallagher. He failed the substance abuse policy. No athlete, in any sport, deserves to compete in the playoffs if he or she fails a drug test. Gallagher did not deserve a playoff waiver in spite of his win at Talladega Superspeedway in late April.
As the case is with Gragson this season, NASCAR has previously granted waivers to drivers to compete in the playoffs despite not competing in all of the regular season races. Following an injury in a crash at Daytona International Speedway in 2015, Kyle Busch received a waiver from NASCAR to compete in the Cup Series playoffs. He came back to win the 2015 Cup Series championship after missing 11 regular season races.
This season in the Truck Series, Todd Gilliland received a waiver for playoff eligibility due to his age, but he did not earn a playoff berth. However, this season in the Xfinity Series, NASCAR denied a waiver request to Kaz Grala when he did not attempt the 2018 Alsco 300 at Kentucky Speedway in mid-July.
Alas, I will discuss Grala’s situation in the next slide. With my idea to change the playoff eligibility requirement, as long as drivers finish inside the required point positions, waivers would become unnecessary.