NASCAR: The key factor that makes the playoffs unique

NASCAR is much different than other racing series in that it has playoffs. But even compared to other sports that use playoffs, it is far from the same.

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs played in February for the right to call themselves Super Bowl LV champions, they competed only against one another after beating the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills in the NFC and AFC Championship Games, respectively.

The Atlanta Braves and Houston Astros are currently facing off for the right to call themselves 2021 World Series champions after beating the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox in the NLCS and ALCS, respectively. They are competing only against one another.

But when Kyle Busch faces off against the NASCAR Cup Series playoff drivers with whom he is competing to advance to the Championship 4 in this afternoon’s round of 8 finale, the Xfinity 500, at Martinsville Speedway, he is going to be competing against not only the other seven remaining drivers but more than 30 drivers who have no shot at the championship.

We all know that NASCAR is unique in that, unlike other racing leagues such as IndyCar and Formula 1, playoffs are used to crown the champion.

This has been the case since 2004, and that doesn’t appear likely to change. But what makes NASCAR perhaps even more unique is that even in the playoffs, the championship-eligible drivers still have to compete on-track against dozens of others who have already been eliminated from title contention.

And this has caused some tension among drivers from both groups this season.

Fairy often, we hear about the “playoff vs. non-playoff” driver aspect of the postseason and how it is, in fact, so much different than it is any other sport.

But many times we only hear one side: how non-playoff drivers — drivers who still want to win and have every right to want to win — are supposed to race the playoff drivers.

So with Busch being a perennial playoff driver, how does he race the non-playoff drivers who generally have nothing to lose, all while he is competing just to survive and advance in the postseason?

“We have to take it as we do with any regular season race,” Busch told Beyond the Flag when asked if he takes a different approach when he is battling for spots with those non-playoff drivers, who many have come to believe don’t always show the level of respect that is expected of them by those still in contention.

“I have said it recently, but the way all this has gone on the last four or five years with the newer generation coming in has completely changed it from what it used to be. It might be exciting for the fans, but all you get is more torn up stuff. It’s not necessarily a playoff versus non-playoff thing, it’s an overall lack of give and take with everyone overall.”

Of course, while any driver can affect the outcome of the race, whether it be via contact or hard racing or causing a timely (or untimely) caution flag period, the only actual points battles that matter for the championship contenders are those against the other remaining title contenders.

But while some drivers may like to worry solely about the race in front of them instead of thinking about the math and how many stage points and race points are needed to achieve what they want to achieve, Busch likes to have that information at his disposal throughout each race.

“My guys do a pretty good job overall of keeping me updated on what the points look like,” he said. “Ben [Beshore, crew chief] has all that information in front of him and I don’t have that in the car.

“At Kansas last week, they made sure I knew what the scenario was after [Ryan] Blaney had his issue which makes a huge difference. We were five laps down and really at that point just needed to finish the race. So with how many laps I was down and the shape of the car, I didn’t need to make any crazy moves and just finish the race where I was to stay above the cutline.”

It appeared as though Busch would enter the round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway at least 30 points below the Championship 4 cut line. Instead, he sits one point ahead of Blaney for the fourth and final spot.

“It’s going to be a tough race,” Busch told FanSided‘s Mark Carman in an interview after last Sunday afternoon’s race at Kansas Speedway.

“Looking forward to it. It’s a place we’ve run well at before. I’ve won there a couple times, I’ve got a couple grandfather clocks. It would be nice to pick up another one or just have a good solid day and get ourselves in on points.”

While Busch has been strong at Martinsville Speedway before, winning in 2016 and 2017 and reeling off eight straight top five finishes at the four-turn, 0.526-mile (0.847-kilometer) oval in Ridgeway, Virginia from 2015 to 2019, he has not finished higher than ninth place in the last four races, and his average finish in those four events is just 13.00.

“We have not been as strong at Martinsville as we want to be lately, we just have to go race and see what happens,” said Busch, who has led just five laps in his last five starts at the track, to Beyond the Flag.

“I was expecting much worse with how our race went at Kansas. We still have a decent shot, but it’s just going to be tough. Just going to be a hard-fought fight for that final spot with our M&M’s Halloween Camry. You don’t necessarily have to win, but certainly we are going to have to work hard to get up front and stay up there, get as many stage points as possible and see where things shake out.”

Speaking of M&M’s and Halloween, check out this cool promotion that Busch and the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing team have been a part of ahead of this year’s Halloween to make it a special one for children involved in organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Charlotte.

NBC is set to broadcast the Xfinity 500 from Martinsville Speedway beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET this afternoon, so be sure not to miss it and start your free trial of FuboTV today!