Written by Gabriel Tsui, Edited by Tarun Suresh
As the green flag was waved for the overtime sequence in Richmond, Austin Dillon had a sub-par restart, leading to Joey Logano overtaking Dillon for the top spot.
As they came around for one final time as the white flag was waved, Dillon was already car lengths behind Logano, and most at this moment would assume Logano went on to take his second win of the season in yet another last-minute overtime comeback.
However, heading into the final turn, Dillon held fifth gear and went deep into the turn, eventually hitting Logano’s rear end and sending him into a spin. Dillon then proceeded to take out Denny Hamlin, hooking Hamlin’s right rear as he was accelerating, and sending Hamlin into the wall.
As the chequered flag wave, he became the first to cross the line and secured his first win of the season and a return to the playoffs.
There have been various ‘bump and runs’ throughout the years, the likes of Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Hamlin, and Logano have all done it numerous times to get into an advantageous position. But contact is part of the sport, and for better or for worse, drivers accept that it is a part of close-up, door-to-door racing.
However, none of those rivalled the severity and the intention of Dillon’s move. He was more than a car lengths behind Logano and was obviously not about to beat Hamlin in a drag race down the main stretch. Paired alongside the radio messages from Brandon Brenesch, Dillon’s spotter, telling Dillon to “wreck him” was not a good look.
Now, I will not go into the weeds of debating on whether NASCAR should be doing more to punish and prevent such a blatantly unsportsmanlike move, nor if NASCAR’s punishment was too harsh, as that is not the topic of debate today.
Other writers on the internet such as The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck already put their three cents on the table, but the most likely scenario is that you probably have already made up your opinion on the incident and the penalties, and a rambling writer on the internet probably wouldn’t change your mind.
I have also discussed topics of insufficient penalties for intentionally hooking others in the past, such as Bubba Wallace in Las Vegas 2022, or Chase Eliott in Charlotte 2023, so I will leave that up to you, the audience, to decide whether or not the punishment is sufficient for what Dillon did.
What I want to discuss, instead, is this flawed playoff system that led to Austin Dillon deciding to pull a NASCAR Heat 5 online public lobby type of desperation move, wrecking two cars and making enemies with two very influential teams, mortgaging his entire reputation and credibility as a driver and a racer, just for a playoff berth.
For those who do not know, the NASCAR Cup Series adopted a playoff period after the initial 26 races of the season in 2004, where only top-ten in points standings after the initial 26 races can advance to the playoff period. In the rest of the season, the playoff drivers attempt to score as many points as possible, where the highest playoff point scorer in that period wins the race.
The playoff slowly evolved until 2014, when a major overhaul of the system saw a shift in focus towards winning races. Drivers who got a win will be able to advance to the playoffs automatically, regardless of their regular season standings.
The playoff field was expanded into 16 drivers, with a ten-race playoff period where every three races sees four drivers get eliminated, until the tenth race, where the final four drivers essentially have a drive-off.
This made making the playoffs a way easier task than it was for drivers, especially the tail end, as a win could simply guarantee them a spot. But this also meant that drivers were willing to take more risks and make uncomfortable moves just to secure the race win.
Alongside a quiet move by NASCAR at the start of the 2023 season that removed the requirement for drivers to be within the top 30 in the regular season standings, making it even simpler and easier for back-end drivers to secure a playoff spot.
Getting into the playoffs comes with huge spotlights in broadcast and media day, bringing in massive sponsorship opportunities. Yes, at the end of the day, it is all about money. Wins and playoff appearances bring new fans who would buy merchandise and corporate sponsors who are willing to support a race-winning team for TV time.
Does this playoff system create incredible moments that are SportsCentre Top 10 worthy? Absolutely. Does this playoff system give a chance for the underdogs to break out of the bottom with a surprise win to make the playoffs? Yes.
But does this system lead to drivers that consistently perform at a high level, but fail to get a win, unable to get into the playoffs?
Yes. Martin Truex Jr. in 2022 was a prime example, he went fourth in constructors standings but still didn’t make the playoffs, because he didn’t win. Did this exact system, in one way or another, incentivise Dillon to “cross the line”? That is a firm yes.
This playoff system was created haphazardly without thought or care, with the only thought going into it being entertainment and profit, never built with the intent of competition.
Think about it, NASCAR is the only top-tier racing series with a playoff period, with the regular season meaning absolutely nothing to drivers other than a measly few playoff points that don’t matter by the time they make it to the championship four.
For far too long, NASCAR has been promoting exciting moments instead of consistent performances. For far too long, NASCAR has been prioritising creating moments that will spark attention within the national media and the social media spectrum.
For far too long, NASCAR has been trying to appeal to the largest of audiences yet appealing to none. The dwindling attendance numbers, the relatively average viewership when compared to other sports, and the disgruntled fan bases are all results of their failure to do so.
In doing so, they abandoned their hardcore supporters who see their beloved sport turn into WWE-esque, with entertainment levels akin to a Disneyland bumper kart ride for a fifteen-year-old teenager, instead of an actual competition that saw drivers compete with their actual driving skill.
The playoff system — more specifically the playoff qualifying system — needs a revamp. And the starting point of this revamp shouldn’t be based on highlight hunting or content farming. But instead based on incentivising fair competition, while still making it a fun watch.
Changing the qualifying system from wins-based to points-based would be a good start. This way, instead of letting drivers compete with a risk-it-for-the-biscuit mentality, drivers think twice before making moves that would affect their points payout at the end of the day, or the good ol’ saying, “check yourself before you wreck yourself”.
Awarding playoff points for wins and stage wins should also be abolished, but regular season points for stage finishes should stay. This keeps the competitive edge for the early parts of a race but doesn’t effectively give drivers a large points advantage at the start of each playoff round.
The playoff points awarded for regular season standings could be increased slightly, but not large enough that it protects them from a poor race or two.
Another way to make the regular season more important to drivers could be pit stall selection priority for the playoffs. Pit stall selection could be the make or break for a money stop at the end of the race, so it could be a valuable asset at the top-ranked team at the regular season’s disposal.
These changes would still need ironing out as there are still certain flaws to them, but it’s a start. No more — should NASCAR hold onto this flawed system. This flawed system has been a disgrace to the legacy of the series, and to racing itself.
It’s time to make a change, for the better.
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