AVONDALE, Ariz. — NASCAR’s president defended the four drivers racing for the Cup Series championship this weekend — even though others had better statistics than the finalists — as well as the playoff system itself in the stock-car sanctioning body’s annual “State of the Sport” address Friday afternoon.
Steve Phelps, who has served as president since October 2018, spoke at Phoenix Raceway, where all three national series will decide their 2024 champions this weekend. The third-tier Truck Series will run Friday night, the second-tier Xfinity Series on Saturday night and the Cup Series on Sunday afternoon.
In the finale, reigning Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney, Team Penske teammate Joey Logano — seeking his third title after winning in 2018 and 2022 — Daytona 500 winner William Byron of Hendrick Motorsports and regular-season champion Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing are eligible for the championship in Sunday’s race. The highest-finishing driver among those four will take the title.
All three manufacturers that compete in the Cup Series will be represented as Blaney and Logano drive Fords, with Hendrick in a Chevrolet and Reddick in a Toyota.
Phelps admitted NASCAR has heard fan backlash that the most deserving drivers were eliminated from contention along the way in the playoffs, which started with a 16-driver field in September. The notable names not in the final four include Hendrick’s Kyle Larson, the 2021 champion who led the Cup Series with six wins this season, and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell, who was outstanding in the third round of the playoffs but was disqualified for riding the wall last week at Virginia’s Martinsville Speedway in a move deemed to be a safety violation.
That gave the final berth to Byron on points after Logano, Reddick and Blaney all won races in the third round to earn their title shots in the finale. Others eliminated were Hendrick’s Chase Elliott, who won the 2020 title, and JGR’s Denny Hamlin, who has more Cup Series win than any driver without a championship.
“There’s a lot of chatter around the four that are competing on Sunday. Heard some words like, ‘They’re not deserving, you’ve got the wrong drivers, two, three, four drivers,'” Phelps said. “All our drivers knew the format. All four of these drivers deserve to be here — full stop.”
Logano was eliminated from the playoffs after the second round but was reinstated within hours when Alex Bowman’s Hendrick Chevy failed inspection after an elimination race. He won at Las Vegas the following week, and now he will try to become the only active three-time champion in NASCAR’s top series.
Blaney, who won at Martinsville, and Logano give team owner Roger Penske and Ford two opportunities to win a third straight title.
Reddick didn’t have the best postseason but used a last-corner pass at Homestead-Miami Speedway to win two weeks ago and put 23XI — a team co-owned by Hamlin, six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan and Curtis Polk, the basketball legend’s business manager — into the final four for the first time since its founding ahead of the 2021 season.
Byron earned his way in on points once Bell’s move was deemed illegal.
Penalties aplenty: NASCAR this week issued $600,000 in fines and suspended nine team members from three organizations over race manipulation last weekend at Martinsville that chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell said the sanctioning body found completely out of line.
NASCAR penalized 23XI for running interference for fellow Toyota driver Bell, while Chevrolet teams Trackhouse Racing and Richard Childress Racing were penalized for helping Byron.
“I would argue before what we saw, one of the best races we’ve seen in the playoffs, and it’s unbelievable that we’re sitting here talking about this topic,” O’Donnell said. “I’ll probably get in trouble for saying this, but I’ll say it anyway …. what I saw in Martinsville pissed me off, and it pissed everyone off at NASCAR because we all know better, and we know what happens.”
NASCAR waffled on suspending drivers Bubba Wallace (23XI), Ross Chastain (Trackhouse) and Austin Dillon (RCR), but instead issued heavy fines and has a Saturday driver meeting to discuss the penalties. NASCAR has already held a meeting with the original equipment manufacturers to discuss the role they play in ordering their teams to help aligned teams.
“We had a call with our OEMs where we were very clear in what our intentions are going forward,” O’Donnell said. “It is true, do we have a rule right now where we could do something? We don’t. Will we have a rule next year? 1,000%. They’re aware of that, and they’re aware if anything happens this weekend, which it won’t, but we will react.”
O’Donnell also denied that NASCAR is inconsistent in its officiating and remained adamant the playoff system, which currently has a 16-driver, 10-race postseason, is not going away.
NASCAR was founded in 1948, and for decades its champions were determined based on their performance throughout the year without a distinct postseason. The first version of the playoffs debuted in 2004, and there have been various changes since then, including since 2014 that a win in any playoff race automatically advanced a driver to the next round.
“Can you name one sport that doesn’t have officiating questions throughout the year?” O’Donnell asked rhetorically. “The format is one thing, but playoffs, we’re not going to go away from playoffs. We read fans and everything. We’ll absolutely look at what form the playoffs take in the offseason. You always learn, but playoffs in and of itself, you cannot argue with the quality of racing that the playoffs have delivered.”
Farewell to champs: Phelps took a moment to congratulate former Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., who will retire at the end of the season, and NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Tony Stewart, who is selling his ownership stake in Stewart-Haas Racing.
Truex won the 2017 title driving for now-defunct Furniture Row Racing, an underdog story for the one-car team from Denver that was the only Cup Series team based west of the Mississippi River. He has 34 career victories on the top-tier circuit, and he won two season championships (2004-05) on the second-tier circuit currently known as the Xfinity Series.
Stewart won two Cup Series titles driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, winning it all in 2002 and 2005, and added his third in 2011 for SHR. He is now a full-time NHRA drag racer and expecting his first baby with wife Leah Pruett.
“I did want to make sure that I said something about Martin Truex and his retirement from full-time racing. Martin has been a class act. He is a clean race car driver, never dirty. He’s got a great fan base, and we will miss him. We are hopeful that he will come back and do one-off races or participate in other ways in this sport,” Phelps said.
“Then, likewise, Tony Stewart selling his charters. So Tony is going to concentrate with Leah on their family and on drag racing. So we wish Tony well. Tony is always welcome at our race tracks as well.”
Antitrust lawsuit: NASCAR officials refused to take questions about the federal antitrust lawsuit filed against the series by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports on the same day a judge ruled against the teams in their bid for a court order to compete as chartered teams next season.
It’s a matter that’s far from over, with appeals against Friday’s motion expected and the wheels still turning on the main lawsuit.