Sunday's Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway saw quite possibly the least exciting photo finish in NASCAR Cup Series history.
Lap after lap in the closing stages, the field raced by in two-by-two gridlock formation, with drivers unable to maneuver through the pack by themselves, until finally Austin Cindric crossed the finish line half a car length ahead of Ryan Preece (who was later disqualified). The only bright side was that there wasn't a massive wreck.
According to NASCAR's senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer, though, all is well.
NASCAR's "leadership" is content with a poor product, and it's organizational malpractice
Sawyer is either intentionally playing dumb or legitimately has no clue how the sport he oversees functions. Yes, there were 67 lead changes among 23 drivers. That's because throughout the vast majority of Sunday's race, drivers were laying back to save fuel so that they could spend less time on pit road.
Most of those lead changes were from one lane barely nosing ahead of the other at the line on one lap, and then the other lane leading the next lap.
The only reason they had to race like that to begin with is because of how the Next Gen car races on superspeedways. Those pit sequences are largely what determine track position. Just take a look at the difference between the end of Saturday's Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 and Sunday's Cup Series race.
Ignoring the race-ending caution on the final lap, that Xfinity clip is what superspeedway racing should be, with drivers spreading out four-wide and moving through the pack by themselves at will.
The fact that NASCAR's secondary series has figured this out while the Cup Series can't is a horrible look, and the complacent attitude from Sawyer is an even worse one that will only further anger fans.
Unfortunately, it's an attitude that seems to be quite prevalent in NASCAR today. From inconsistent officiating decisions to absolutely atrocious TV coverage (by the way, this week Fox outdid themselves by going to a side-by-side commercial break inside of 10 laps to go), there is a glaring lack of accountability everywhere.
The level of disconnect between NASCAR's brass and the fanbase is perhaps the worst it has been since Brian France was still at the helm. At that point in time, ratings were in freefall and there appeared to be no hope in sight.
France was ousted by his family after a 2018 DUI arrest, and things slowly began to stabilize, particularly in 2020 when NASCAR was gifted the opportunity to be the only live televised sport for several months during COVID-19.
Now, though, the big wigs in Charlotte have reverted back to their old habits. The first step toward solving any problem is admitting there is one, and if NASCAR's "leadership" can't take that step in regard to fixing their on-track product, then it is time for new leadership.