NASCAR: Improve championship weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway

The NASCAR championship weekend takes place at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Here are two suggestions on how NASCAR can improve the championship format.

Homestead-Miami Speedway hosts the NASCAR championship weekend, which is scheduled to take place from tonight through this Sunday afternoon. In each of the three major series, the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series, four drivers compete to win the championship. Of these drivers, the highest finishers in each of the three series are crowned champions.

It is a simple format, but it could be better. I suggest two changes to improve those championship races. First, I suggest that NASCAR reward each Championship 4 driver one point for each race they won this season heading into the race.

There are three reasons why NASCAR should implement my first suggestion. For starters, it incentivizes NASCAR to take wins away from drivers if their cars fail post-race inspection. It rewards the drivers who complete the race and pass post-race inspection. It clears the air about how NASCAR deals with teams that violate the rules.

After Kevin Harvick won the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, his #4 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford failed post-race inspection. Although NASCAR penalized Harvick with a loss of points and he lost his automatic Championship 4 berth, he kept the trophy and the money and nobody else could claim the victory. Fans complain how NASCAR deals with drivers who fail post-race inspection. My suggestion motivates NASCAR to take away victories from drivers who fail it.

Secondly, the drivers have an incentive to always race for the win. For instance, Johnny Sauter won the Texas Roadhouse 200 at Martinsville Speedway. As a result, he clinched his automatic Championship 4 berth. However, that race was the opening race of the Truck Series round of 6. Two more races remained in that round at the time. While the trophies, money and spotlight are all enjoyable, what advantage would Sauter gain if he won more Round of 6 races?

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NASCAR emphasizes winning. With my suggestion, if Sauter won more Round of 6 races, he would better position himself for the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Instead, he is tied with Noah Gragson in the playoff picture despite the fact that he has won six races so far this season and Gragson has only won one.

A mistake by Johnny Sauter in the Championship 4 race could cost him the championship. With my suggestion, Sauter would have a five-point advantage over Gragson heading into the race, which would be vital as they push their trucks to the limit.

Lastly, my suggestion would appear old school fans. Matt Kenseth won the 2003 NASCAR Cup Series title despite the fact that he won only one race that season. He won the championship with his remarkable consistency. NASCAR created a playoff format the following year to add more drama to its season and to reward drivers for winning.

Now, the first 35 races boil down into the final race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. If NASCAR gave the Championship 4 drivers points based on their wins heading into the Championship 4 race like they do heading into every other playoff race, it would reward them for their season-long performances. While the season would still feature a one-race shootout, my suggestion better balances a successful season with a successful final race.

NASCAR’s current playoff format nearly backfired. Kevin Harvick won the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series championship with his victory in the Ford EcoBoost 400. Ryan Newman finished in second place in both the race and in the championship standings. Newman, however, did not win a race that season. If he finished the season finale in second as the highest Championship 4 driver, NASCAR would have awarded the Cup Series title to a winless driver.

This season, the NASCAR Xfinity Series faces a similar predicament. Daniel Hemric can win the championship, but he has not won a race this season. For something that supposedly puts such a strong emphasis on winning, NASCAR’s championship race format is flawed.

With my suggestion, Christopher Bell would have 4007 points, Cole Custer and Tyler Reddick would have 4001 points and Daniel Hemric would have 4000 points. My suggestion makes it more likely that the best driver wins the championship.

My second suggestion to improve those championship races is for the Championship 4 drivers to be eligible to earn stage points. In every race except the championship race, all the top 10 drivers in each stage earn points. However, in the championship race, the Championship 4 drivers are ineligible to earn stage points. This is a problem that contradicts why NASCAR implemented stage points in the first place.

NASCAR implemented stage points partly due to William Byron’s engine failure in the Truck Series round of 6 race at ISM Raceway in 2016. Byron led the most laps of that race, but the engine failure in his #9 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota ended his race and championship hopes. With the creation of stage points, Byron could have advanced to the Championship 4 race.

NASCAR added stage points to encourage drivers to give their maximum effort for the whole race. Why the championship race is different is baffling. Christopher Bell failed pre-race inspection before 2018 Whelen Trusted to Perform 200 at ISM Raceway. He managed to finish the first stage in 10th place and the second stage in fourth, and he went on to win the race.

If the Championship 4 drivers earned stage points, failing pre-race inspection would make a difference, as the finish would not be the only thing that counts. Having Championship 4 drivers eligible to earn stage points would create more drama and force drivers them to push their cars to the limit throughout the whole race rather than to ensure that they will contend for the win at the finish.

I want to note that if NASCAR adds my two suggestions to the championship races, there is the possibility of a tie for the championship. The tiebreaker would be what currently determines the champion. The best finishing Championship 4 driver in the race would win the tiebreaker.

These changes would generate more drama among the Championship 4 drivers. They would create the need for strategy to gain every point possible, and they would produce better racing for the fans. In summation, with my two suggestions, the champion in each NASCAR series will be the most deserving driver.