NASCAR Cup Series: Finally, some real playoff drama

After NASCAR Cup Series playoff race after NASCAR Cup Series playoff race with manufactured drama and storylines, Martinsville Speedway finally delivered some real drama.

Up until the opener of the round of 8 of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Martinsville Speedway, the only “drama” through the first six races of the four-round, 10-race playoffs was really “manufactured drama”.

Fortunately, the 500-lap First Data 500 around the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) Martinsville Speedway oval in Ridgeway, Virginia changed that.

The playoffs started out at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, when they main storyline was the frustration of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch with lapped cars.

With Rick Ware Racing’s Garrett Smithley running 12 laps down toward the end of the race, Busch lost a potential top five finish when he ran into him. He ended up finishing in 19th place.

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This incident really meant nothing in the long run, as Busch still clinched a berth in the round of 12 with one race remaining in the round of 16.

Then at Richmond Raceway, the “drama” involved contact on a restart and non-playoff driver Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing being told to spin out Hendrick Motorsports’ Alex Bowman.

Bowman proceeded to reference the fact that Dillon drives for his grandfather’s team with a “silver spoon” comment, but both drivers finished right around where they were running before the incident.

Above all, Bowman still advanced to the round of 16.

Then at the Charlotte Motor Speedway roval, Richard Petty Motorsports’ Darrell Wallace Jr. chucked his drink on Bowman while Bowman was receiving medical attention after driving his tail off to a second place finish following multiple incidents.

Wallace, who came nowhere close to qualifying for the playoffs, finished in 24th place, but he was upset with Bowman for spinning him out, which Bowman only did because Wallace was upset with his aggression earlier in the race and kept flipping him off.

Then at Dover International Speedway, we actually had some drama with playoff contenders. But there was a catch; that drama only unfolded because one of the drivers, Team Penske’s Joey Logano, was running 24 laps off the lead lap.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin wasn’t happy with how hard Logano was racing the leaders considering the fact that he was two dozen miles off the lead lap, and he felt that he cost him a chance to win since that aggression resulted in Hamlin getting passed.

With how hard it was to pass at Dover International Speedway this season as a result of the new aero package, Hamlin’s frustration was justified, even if Logano had every right to be competing after going 24 laps down early due to a busted rear axle. Hamlin ultimately had to settle for fifth place after dominating more than half of the race.

But if there’s going to be drama among playoff drivers, at least let’s have it be drama among championship contenders racing against one another.

The First Data 500 finally delivered that.

Championship contenders Hamlin and Logano — both on the lead lap this time around — made contact with one another toward the end of the race coming off of turn four, causing one of Logano’s tires to go down.

Logano spun out shortly thereafter, and while he rebounded to finish in eighth place, just four positions behind Hamlin in fourth, he sought to have a discussion with him after the race.

The two drivers had what Hamlin later described as a “civil” discussion, but it escalated when Logano shoved Hamlin before quickly getting away.

This resulted in a brawl between crew members of the two drivers.

After the brawl ended, Hamlin gave what is being considered the best interview of the season. The crowd roared louder and louder as he gave this interview, which culminated in him making a mockery of Logano, stating in Logano’s voice, “Ah, short-track racin’!”

Both Logano and Hamlin currently sit above the Championship 4 cut line with two races remaining prior to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, but they will be drivers to watch for other reasons throughout the remainder of the round of 8 in the races at Texas Motor Speedway and ISM Raceway, especially when they get near one another.

It’s inevitable.

With the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs finally featuring drama other than “manufactured” drama, will we see any more big drama-related storylines develop throughout the final three races of the season? Don’t rule it out; it never fails.