NASCAR: 3 crazy scenarios that totally expose the playoff format
There are certain far-fetched but possible scenarios in NASCAR that would totally expose the modern-day playoff format, if they were to come to fruition.
By Asher Fair
Playoffs were introduced in NASCAR ahead of the 2004 season, and they have been utilized ever since to determine the champion.
Since the 2014 season, the current elimination format has been used in the Cup Series, with that same format having been implemented ahead of the 2016 season for the Xfinity Series and Truck Series.
The addition of stage racing ahead of the 2017 season also brought with it a slight change to this format, as it added stage points into the mix as far as the standings are concerned and it made stage wins worth playoff points, which drivers carry with them through the playoffs.
The playoff format has been debated time and time again, but it does appear that it is here to stay, at least in some form relatively similar to what it has been for the last 10 seasons.
Since the playoffs were introduced in 2004, 20 championships have been won. Of those 20 championships, eight were won by the drivers who would have won them even without the playoffs.
But of the 10 that have been won since the new format was introduced in 2014, only three were won by the drivers who would have won them without the playoffs.
Should this be the case?
Set that debate aside for another day; let's look at a few crazy (and by crazy, we do mean extreme) scenarios that could expose the playoff format in the future if they were to come to fruition.
We're talking even crazier than Harrison Burton getting into the playoffs as the last place driver in the standings, a scenario that has indeed unfolded in 2024.
Granted, the odds that any one of them happens are extremely small, as they are, in fact, extreme, but they are worth considering when you look at what the current playoff format really rewards and undervalues.
1. Winning 35 races
A driver could win 35 of the 36 races on the schedule and not win the championship. If a driver wins the first 35 races on the schedule, all he does is guarantee himself a spot in the Championship 4.
If he finishes behind any of the other Championship 4 drivers in the Championship 4, he won't win the title; he could finish as low as fourth place. His average finish could literally be 1.03 (35 wins and a second place finish), and he could lose the championship.