NASCAR has some big problems, that are certainly killing the sport from the inside. What happened to the sport I love? We got teams, drivers, crews, fans, everybody is pissed off. Why, let me just name the reasons. Rules, driver etiquette, heck just straight-up integrity as a whole. The sport as a whole has completely lost its true purpose.
Yeah, we’re like the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB we got our playoffs and we are sure as heck proud of it. You are proud of it. Who even remembers who the champion of the series is anymore? Championships used to mean the world in NASCAR. When you were a former or even current champion racing on the track, you were given respect. Your fellow competitors knew better than to mess with you. That certainly isn’t how the sport works anymore.
We are certainly far from the days, of Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and even Jimmie Johnson. They all had integrity on the race track. They knew when enough was enough, when in a tough battle on the track. The lack of respect for Champions of the NASCAR series is just a mere part of the problem.
Integrity in NASCAR Questionable; Why It’s Killing the Sport
Problems with integrity in NASCAR start at the top, and it just withers its way down the pipe. The sport itself is currently in the midst of a lawsuit by two of its race teams. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. Why did it have to reach this point? Those teams didn’t sign the new “charter agreement” and it appears both teams will not get to race under a charter next season unless something drastically changes.
Statement from 23XI and Front Row Motorsports ownership. Read more here https://t.co/zvseR0i7bP pic.twitter.com/2HGtyawX6k
— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) October 2, 2024
Both teams are looking to expand to a third car and this court situation certainly isn’t going to help their cause. This isn’t an easy situation to fix, as it is an antitrust lawsuit that was filed by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin’s 23XI and Front Row Motorsports. That may just be the start of problems for NASCAR, as a recent new controversy has sprinkled out.
Are Teams Stealing Set-ups?
According to a report by the Associated Press’s Jenna Fryer, the sport is aware of a race team engineer allegedly sharing proprietary information. More or less someone in the sport has illegally provided the set-ups from one race team to another. Here we are again, with no integrity in the sport. That’s like Hendrick Motorsports sharing trade secrets with JTG Daughtery Racing. It’s one thing to communicate with your teammates if you work and drive in a multi-car organization.
No names were provided in the report, nor were the actual allegations brought forward. However, according to ESPN, the engineer is reportedly in a contract year with Joe Gibbs Racing. What is this sport coming to? JGR declined to comment. They have two cars still in the running for the Cup Series Championship, but to possibly get caught up in a scandal doesn’t help an already shattered sport.
Who Cares About Rules and Regulations?
It has been something that has been bugging me for a while. The Next Gen era of the NASCAR Cup Series has seen lots of intense racing and lots of different winners. That’s great, but do some of these drivers getting good runs, actually belong near the front of the field? Sorry, but when Corey Lajoie’s now-former No. 7 car was consistently broadcasting because he was involved in wrecking someone, it’s not a good idea to continue to push that the driver has what it takes. I’m sorry, but Lajoie isn’t the only driver who seems to have no care for the rules and regulations of NASCAR. Oh, wait, neither does the sport itself. The 2024 season has seen plenty of controversial moments. You have the Austin Dillon Richmond fiasco, Josh Berry, and Ryan Blaney’s gripes with the tow truck drivers. The biggest controversy of all is people just wrecking each other for the heck of it.
No, the biggest controversy of all is the NASCAR Playoffs, there I said it. Oh, you won a race cool, you’re in the playoffs. Sorry Harrison Burton, no slight against you, that was an awesome win. Was he one of the 16 best drivers this season, no. The sport has got to do something different. These drivers are way too competitive, and if I’m being honest insane to have the playoffs still run like they do.
Do Championships Even Matter?
I grew up knowing winning a Championship was the pinnacle of motorsports. The last four NASCAR Champions have been Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, and Ryan Blaney. That’s great to hear some parity in Champions, but this sport has always had its dominant championship drivers. Sure, people like to say Elliott’s was a Mickey Mouse Championship. Who cares, he is a NASCAR Champion, and will always have that honor. All we are getting in recent history is Joey Logano mousing his way to the Championship Four every other year. Why does he get better treated than Elliott or Even Blaney, especially by other drivers on track during a race? Logano used always to drive through people to win races. He got put in his place by past champions of the sport for doing that.
Why are Elliott and Blaney the only former Champions who seem to have a weekly target to cost them each week? Because they are the sons of former Cup drivers. They are both well-accomplished drivers and won their Championships fair and square. That disrespect for championship-level drivers has certainly only been hindered by this outdated format. Elliott spoke with Claire B. Lang this week about what he has to do to overcome a 53-point deficit to make the Championship Four. He certainly didn’t blame Logano for winning at Las Vegas, but he did make sure to blame the format.
So, @chaseelliott must win @HomesteadMiami or @MartinsvilleSwy to make playoffs. It's all the talk.
But what does Chase think he has to do different in a "must win" playoff situation? How much actually changes? I sought an answer to that from Chase yesterday and he delivered: pic.twitter.com/O7g81FvnVb— Claire B Lang (@ClaireBLang) October 24, 2024
The lack of respect for former Champions of the sport is a joke. That’s why it appears NASCAR Championships don’t even matter anymore. What else is new with this sport?
