NASCAR playoff ‘drama’ has become manufactured drama

The “drama” that has highlighted the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is really nothing more than manufactured drama, and the level of what is being discussed is beginning to show it.

High levels of drama and high-level rivalries have proven to work wonders in the past as far as the popularity of the NASCAR Cup Series is concerned.

The first four races of the four-round, 10-race 2019 playoffs have certainly featured their fair share of drama, almost to the point where you expect a new argument between drivers after each and every race.

But at this point, the drama has become nothing more than manufactured drama, and it is being hyped up because of the fact that there is really no real drama among high-level playoff contenders that is even remotely worth discussing.

These first four races prove it.

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Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. won the playoff opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But the focus was on one of his three teammates, the always controversial Kyle Busch.

Busch finished this race in 19th place after a late run-in with a car running 12 laps off the lead lap cost him a top five finish, and he sounded off about it afterward.

Because of Busch’s position in the playoff standings, this really didn’t mean much as far as him advancing to the round of 12 from the round of 16 was concerned, and sure enough, he managed to clinch a spot in the round of 12 even with one race remaining in the round of 16.

Yet it was discussed nonstop the following week.

NASCAR could use good rivalries. But no one is going to tune in to a playoff race to see if Busch can pull off the feat of putting Garrett Smithley or Joey Gase 13 laps down.

Then at Richmond Raceway, Truex was victorious again. But there was drama between playoff driver Alex Bowman of Hendrick Motorsports and non-playoff driver Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing.

Moments after Bowman made contact with Dillon on a restart, Dillon sent Bowman spinning.

Dillon told his team that he didn’t even want to do what he did, and that he only did it because multiple team members demanded he do so on the radio. Neither driver’s race result was drastically affected by what happened, as Dillon finished in 22nd place ahead of Bowman in 23rd, which is right around where they were running when the initial contact occurred.

If there is anybody who wants to tune into NASCAR to watch the battle for 22nd place in a playoff race between a playoff driver and a non-playoff driver, please let me know.

Then at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval, Bowman was involved in another run-in with another non-playoff driver, this time Richard Petty Motorsports’ Darrell Wallace Jr.

Wallace flipped Bowman off multiple times after they made contact on the opening lap before Bowman eventually dumped him.

Bowman, who was involved in multiple incidents throughout the race, still managed to finish in second place. Wallace finished in 24th, which is right around his average as one of the lowest running full-time drivers.

After the race, Wallace chucked his drink on Bowman while Bowman was receiving medical attention, even though he admitted that Bowman was much faster than he was throughout the race.

Based on the way the incident was discussed afterward, you’d have thought these drivers were two championship contenders who would be at serious odds with one another coming down the home stretch.

But nothing has happened since then between them, despite all of the post-incident jabber.

Then at Dover International Speedway, an incident involving multiple playoff drivers actually took place. But there was a catch; it only took place because one of those drivers was already out of contention, running 24 laps off the lead lap.

Team Penske’s Joey Logano was this driver after his #22 Ford suffered a busted rear axle before the race and had to be sent to the garage for repairs. The fact that he was still racing the frontrunners hard angered them, most notably Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin, who sounded off on Logano after the race ended.

But it wasn’t like he was sounding off on Logano like Truex did after last year’s crazy finish to the round of 8 race at Martinsville Speedway — you know, what you’d expect from two championship contenders who were just involved in a heated and high-stakes situation in the playoffs.

For all intents and purposes of this race, it might as well have been Busch vs. Smithley again.

Logano ended up finishing in 34th place, 25 laps off the lead lap — still as the lowest driver who actually finished the race. Four drivers failed to finish. Hamlin finished in fifth after leading a race-high 218 laps from the pole position, although he felt that Logano cost him the win.

Yes, the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs have featured their share of drama. But none of this drama is worth its weight in 26th place finishes. It’s all manufactured drama over incidents and run-ins that are in many ways irrelevant in terms of the playoff battles and championship battles, even when they do involve on-track frustration among contenders.

Maybe that will change with six races remaining on the schedule. Maybe it won’t. Maybe Garrett Smithley will throw his helmet at Ross Chastain after their inevitable 32nd place battle later this month, and the fanbase will get fired up about that battle 18 laps off the lead lap for the ensuing week.

Who knows?