Shock exits, gorgeous upsets, and wild finishes are hallmarks of the trendy playoff format in NASCAR. Nonetheless, there are a number of indicators that time to this 12 months being in contrast to any that got here earlier than it. There are acquainted faces out and sudden names in, all wrapped round a schedule that has doubled the variety of drafting tracks and street programs. Whereas the dominant driver has fallen wanting the title earlier than, this could possibly be the 12 months the place somebody really sudden wins all of it.
Chaos issue benefitting the underdogs
For the very first time, the ultimate ten races will function two street programs and two drafting tracks. Becoming a member of the Charlotte ROVAL and Talladega Superspeedway shall be Watkins Glen Worldwide and Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Olympic break pressured NASCAR to shake up the schedule, and now these races are evenly cut up between the primary two rounds.
That’s key for drivers akin to Harrison Burton, who would usually wrestle for outcomes on the usual tracks that cowl many of the schedule. However since its reconfiguration, Atlanta now races extra like a superspeedway. Earlier this 12 months, the race featured ten cautions with 28 of 37 drivers concerned in a crash. It led to a dramatic three-wide photograph end the place Daniel Suarez earned Trackhouse Racing’s solely victory of the 2024 season. The benefit groups akin to Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing take pleasure in shall be severely blunted by the addition of one other drafting observe, the place anybody can win and one improper transfer can depart title favorites with disastrous finishes.
Watch: Race Rewind: Loopy race, photograph end at Atlanta
The identical may be stated for Talladega within the second spherical, which is a fixture within the playoffs and has at all times stood as essentially the most dreaded race of the postseason. Shock playoff entries can make the most of 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 street programs, drivers typically need to sacrifice observe place for stage factors, jumbling the order and placing these drivers deep within the area for the restarts that observe. Now, this may occur twice with the inclusion of Watkins Glen within the opening spherical.
4 of the primary six races within the playoffs are these unpredictable tracks, offering ample alternative for underdogs to make a very deep run into the playoffs. Burton and Cindric have gained Cup races at drafting tracks. Suarez’s first profession win got here on a street 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 observe. Larson has crashed out in 4 of the final 5 races at Atlanta, showcasing simply how chaotic this observe has change into since its reconfiguration.
The playoff spoilers stealing the present
With so many surprises within the playoffs, common contenders at the moment are sitting outdoors the championship battle. 2x Cup champ Kyle Busch did not make the lower for the primary time in 12 years, ending the common season with back-to-back runner-up finishes. He’s presently making an attempt 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 12 months, 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 (2022). Simply final 12 months, he turned the primary non-playoff driver within the elimination period to win the title-decider, disrupting the Championship 4 finale in a approach 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).
Watch: Chris Buescher ‘didn’t fairly get it accomplished’ after lacking playoffs
These are drivers who not have something to lose. They’re to date 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 shall be in 2025. They are not the one drivers with query marks surrounding their future. The drafting tracks shall be an enormous alternative for them to make an announcement win, just like what Burton did at Daytona.
Oh, and I ought to point out: Highway course aces Juan Pablo Montoya and Shane van Gisbergen shall be competing at Watkins Glen.
