NASCAR upset winners share one more thing in common

The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs opened up with two non-playoff drivers in victory lane, but the two winners have something else in common.

The 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs got underway with Petty GMS Motorsports’ Erik Jones, one of two winless drivers who finished in the top 16 in the regular season point standings but failed to qualify for the postseason because of how many winners there were, winning the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Then at Kansas Speedway, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace, who earned his first career victory in the playoffs last October despite not qualifying for the postseason, found victory lane for the second time, again doing so despite having already been eliminated from championship contention.

Through the three-race round of 16’s first two races, the only clinched round of 12 spot belongs to Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, who has locked himself into the second round on points. No playoff driver has won a playoff race yet this year.

But playing spoiler isn’t the only thing that Wallace and Jones have in common.

While neither qualified for the playoffs, both have found recent success after signing long-term contract extensions with their current teams.

Wallace signed a multi-year extension with 23XI Racing to continue driving the #23 Toyota (or the #45 Toyota, who knows?), while Jones signed a multi-year extension with Petty GMS Motorsports to continue driving the #43 Chevrolet.

It had been reported that Wallace was already set to return to 23XI Racing in 2023, but in cases like that, it usually comes down to the fact that contract details aren’t always publicized.

Regardless of whether he did or didn’t have a deal to return next year already in place, now he has one for the next several years.

As for Jones, he was due to become a free agent after his second season in the #43 Chevrolet and first under Petty GMS Motorsports branding, following last offseason’s merger between Richard Petty Motorsports and GMS Racing. Jones’s extension was announced after it was revealed that first-year teammate Ty Dillon would not be back with the organization next year.

All things considered, it’s quite clear that the way signing drivers to new deals, thus avoiding future uncertainty, helps both drivers and teams perform is immeasurable.

Earlier this year, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch revealed the “human side” of racing in what he described as a “hard as hell” year. Up until earlier this week, Busch did not have a deal to compete beyond the conclusion of the 2022 season as a result of the impending loss of primary sponsor M&M’s.

Busch isn’t the only driver affected by such uncertainty, and any drivers who say this kind of thing doesn’t weigh on their mind to some extent are lying.

But with the pressure off and the focus solely on performing and securing a result, rather than trying to prove oneself for a deal that might or might not come, good things truly do happen.

It’s hard for teams to get results out of drivers with whom they negotiate using an “I win, you lose” mentality. The same can be said for any business, really. As for the opposite, the proof is in the pudding.