NASCAR: Could 2022 see the first winless Cup champion?

Since the NASCAR playoff format was introduced, there has been one winless champion, but it hasn’t happened in the Cup Series. Is this the year that changes?

Matt Crafton poked holes in the NASCAR playoff format when he became the first winless champion under it in 2019. The format is designed for winners, with the “win and you’re in” concept designed to intensify the action throughout the season and expand the sport’s fanbase.

Crafton made his way into Truck Series Championship 4 on points and finished higher than the other three contenders, Ross Chastain, Brett Moffitt, and Stewart Friesen, in the season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway.

Though his most recent win hadn’t come since 2017, Crafton maneuvered his way through the playoffs and grabbed his third championship.

A similar scenario occurred last year, when Daniel Hemric, who had never won a race, reached the Championship 4 and then moved Austin Cindric on the last corner of the last lap to earn his first race win and title at Phoenix Raceway.

But this year, there is potential for a winless NASCAR Cup Series champion.

While he won the All-Star Race, Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney has not won a points-paying race this season. He was the only driver who qualified for the playoffs on points, and he remains in title contention, sitting in second place in the round of 12 standings with one race to go before the round of 8.

In a season which has already tied the sport’s all-time record with 19 different winners, it’s odd to see Blaney as the only Team Penske driver without a win.

However, it might not matter. If he can advance all the way to the Championship 4 on points, he has a shot to make history. If he finishes ahead of the other three Championship 4 drivers without winning, he would become a winless champion.

Given the unpredictable nature of the 2022 season and some of the issues we’ve seen with the Next Gen car, a winless champion might only feel right.