Shock exits, gorgeous upsets, and wild finishes are hallmarks of the modern playoff format in NASCAR. Nevertheless, there are a number of indicators that time to this yr being in contrast to any that got here earlier than it. There are acquainted faces out and surprising names in, all wrapped round a schedule that has doubled the variety of drafting tracks and highway programs. Whereas the dominant driver has fallen wanting the title earlier than, this could possibly be the yr the place somebody actually surprising wins all of it.
Chaos issue benefitting the underdogs
For the very first time, the ultimate 10 races will function two highway programs and two drafting tracks. Becoming a member of the Charlotte ROVAL and Talladega Superspeedway will probably be Watkins Glen Worldwide and Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Olympic break compelled NASCAR to shake up the schedule, and now these races are evenly break up between the primary two rounds.
That’s key for drivers equivalent to Harrison Burton, who would usually wrestle for outcomes on the usual tracks that cowl a lot of the schedule. However since its reconfiguration, Atlanta now races extra like a superspeedway. Earlier this yr, the race featured 10 cautions with 28 of 37 drivers concerned in a crash. It resulted in a dramatic three-wide photograph end the place Daniel Suarez earned Trackhouse Racing’s solely victory of the 2024 season thus far. The benefit groups equivalent to Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing take pleasure in will probably be severely blunted by the addition of one other drafting monitor, the place anybody can win and one flawed transfer can depart title favourites with disastrous finishes.
The identical may be stated for Talladega within the second spherical, which is a fixture within the playoffs and has all the time stood as essentially the most dreaded race. Shock playoff entries can utilise these drafting tracks in back-to-back rounds, and even vault themselves into the third spherical by merely avoiding the carnage and even stealing one other win.
The Charlotte ROVAL is one other race that has produced no scarcity of chaos. With how methods play out at highway programs, drivers usually need to sacrifice monitor place for stage factors, jumbling the order and placing these drivers deep within the subject for the restarts that observe. Now, this can occur twice with the inclusion of Watkins Glen within the opening spherical.
Watch: Race Rewind: Loopy race, photograph end at Atlanta
4 of the primary six races within the playoffs are these unpredictable tracks, offering ample alternative for underdogs to make a really deep run into the playoffs. Burton and Austin Cindric have gained Cup races at drafting tracks. Suarez’s first profession win got here on a highway course. Chase Briscoe is one other driver who can profit from these circuits.
In the meantime, former Cup champions like Kyle Larson and Martin Truex Jr have by no means even gained at a drafting monitor. Larson has crashed out in 4 of the final 5 races at Atlanta, showcasing simply how chaotic this monitor has turn out to be since its reconfiguration.
The playoff spoilers stealing the present
With so many surprises within the playoffs, common contenders are actually sitting outdoors the championship combat. Two-time champion Kyle Busch did not make the reduce for the primary time in 12 years, ending the common season with back-to-back runner-up finishes. He’s at present attempting to maintain a streak of 19 consecutive seasons with a race win alive, which is already a NASCAR document. Chris Buescher has the fourth-best common end of anybody this yr, and he is additionally out. Ross Chastain has not missed the playoffs since becoming a member of Trackhouse at the start of the Subsequent Gen period in 2022. Simply final yr, he grew to become the primary non-playoff driver within the elimination period to win the title-decider, disrupting the Championship 4 finale in a method by no means seen earlier than. Bubba Wallace’s season has been a wrestle, however 23XI Racing simply gained the common season title with Tyler Reddick. Each of Wallace’s Cup wins got here at tracks featured within the playoffs – Talladega and Kansas.
These are drivers who now not have something to lose. They’re thus far forward of these from twenty first on again within the standings that stage factors aren’t even going to be a thought. They’re solely right here to win races, and to show that they belonged within the playoffs.
There are additionally these deeper within the factors desk combating for his or her racing lives (and livelihoods). It is nonetheless unclear the place Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith and Ryan Preece will probably be in 2025. They don’t seem to be the one drivers with query marks surrounding their future, so the drafting tracks will probably be an enormous alternative for them to make a press release win, just like what Burton did at Daytona.
Oh, and this also needs to be talked about: Street course aces Juan Pablo Montoya and Shane van Gisbergen will probably be competing at Watkins Glen.