Since the modern elimination-style Playoffs were introduced in 2014, every driver’s goal has been to make the Championship 4. Without making the Championship 4, it is impossible to walk away with the big trophy at the end of the season. However, with how random the final race can be, do Championship 4 appearances matter more than a Championship itself?
While the final Championship race and the Playoffs itself is criticized for how random it can be, for the most part, drivers who make the Championship 4 have earned their way there. Here is a list of the drivers with the most Championship 4 appearances since the format was introduced in 2014.
If you look at the sport from 2014 onwards, you could make a case that these have been the six best Cup Series drivers on track throughout that era. These have been the drivers that have been consistent threats to win every week. Here are the drivers with the amount of race wins as follows: Kyle Busch (35 Wins), Kevin Harvick (37 Wins), Joey Logano (29 Wins), Martin Truex Jr. (32 Wins), Denny Hamlin (28 Wins), and Chase Elliott (18 Wins).
On top of that, according to Racing Reference, four of the six drivers each would have won Championships if there were no elimination-style Playoffs under the current points format. The drivers include Kevin Harvick (2015, 2016, and 2020), Martin Truex Jr. (2017), Kyle Busch (2018 and 2019), and Chase Elliott (2022).
Even look further down the list at drivers like Kyle Larson. Larson is held in high esteem as one of the best race car drivers in the world, and he has made two of the last three Championship 4s. William Byron was the driver who put together likely the best overall season, and he was in the Championship 4 at Phoenix this year.
Even though the final race can be very random, getting to the Final Four takes a lot. It takes either a great regular season to build up a solid points cushion while keeping that momentum up throughout the Playoffs, or winning races at the right time. Generally speaking, the best drivers in the sport tend to at least make it to the final race with a few exceptions.
Championship 4 appearances tend to get forgotten. They are not even tracked as a driver stat on NASCAR.com or Racing Reference. However, getting there is a major accomplishment.
Kevin Harvick even said following being eliminated from the Playoffs in 2020, “These championships aren’t like winning like Petty and Earnhardt used to win them.” That’s not to say a modern Championship is not valuable, but, it’s much different than winning a Championship was in years past.
For some drivers and teams, small victories such as finishing in the top 5 in points or top 10 in points were a big deal, and making the Championship 4 is a big deal. If you make it to the Championship 4, you are a “Big Shot”, one way or another. Even in other sports, teams fly banners for getting to the Championship game or Championship Series even if they do not win it.
The Champion is always going to be what NASCAR markets the most as time goes on because they are the sport’s Champion, whether fans think it is an unfair format or not. However, making it to the Championship race is a big deal, and, that should be a marker of success in a career just like a Championship is. Maybe a simple start would be including it as an official stat on sites like NASCAR.com or Racing Reference.
At the end of the day, a Championship is always going to mean more in the eyes of NASCAR. However, Championship 4 appearances reflect the type of career and season that a driver had as well. They are worthwhile accomplishments, even if the Champion is the one who does the media tour and gets the big trophy at the end of the season.
On February 17, Ubisoft released a trailer that confirmed that NASCAR would be included in The Crew Motorfest’s next season update. Details were limited at the time, but in a press release issued today, Ubisoft revealed the full details of the update ahead of its March 4 launch.
Ubisoft says drafting will affect car speed and help save fuel, implying that drafting will be a huge factor in the game, at least with these cars. You can check out this and much more on Ubisoft’s official post linked below
Earlier this Tuesday, the official The Crew Motorfest account clarified confusion around the NASCAR bundles. The Crew Credit (CC) bundles only include cosmetic team liveries, not additional cars. The 3 base Next Gen cars (Ford Mustang Dark Horse, Toyota Camry XSE, and Chevrolet ZL1) are part of the free Season 9 update and can be purchased separately.
Mitch Rasmussen, NASCAR’s Senior Director of Interactive, said in the press release:
We’re excited to bring our iconic brand to life in The Crew Motorfest. This collaboration represents another important step in our strategy to bring NASCAR into the digital spaces and places where next generation fans spend their time, giving players new ways to interact with the culture and communities they love.
The content arrives as part of Year 3 Season 9 and is officially licensed by NASCAR. You can watch the first trailer and learn more in the article linked below
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Four road courses on the schedule, and somehow that’s enough to spark one of the biggest debates in the garage. After recent comments from Brad Keselowski questioning the business value of road racing, the conversation has picked up serious steam. Is NASCAR leaning too far into it, or is the current balance about right?
There are valid points on both sides, from sponsorship realities to fan traditions to competitive diversity. Some tracks have gained traction. Others have struggled. The question isn’t just whether road courses belong, but how many make sense within a 36-race season. It’s less about extremes and more about direction. And with future schedule changes always looming, this debate probably isn’t settled anytime soon.
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Corey Day’s run-in with Connor Zilisch at Circuit of the Americas became one of the most discussed incidents from Saturday’s race, even drawing a response from Denny Hamlin as well, who this week talked about his support for Zilisch.
During the race, Zilisch dealt with brake trouble on his No. 1 Chevrolet but worked his way forward from the rear of the field, advancing from P29 to P4 in the closing laps. With five laps remaining, he engaged in a battle with Hendrick Motorsports driver Corey Day as they exited Turn 2, holding the outside line. But as they contested the position, Day moved up behind him, contact occurred, and Zilisch spun off course to finish the race in P21.
After the contact, frustrated, Connor Zilisch initially referred to Day as an “absolute hack” on his radio, describing the clash as part of the latter’s racing pattern. But the JR Motorsports driver later tempered his comments, simply saying he expects an apology from the young Hendrick Motorsports driver.
Given that Zilisch declined to escalate the situation, on the latest episode of his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin credited him for calmly managing his response after the race, saying,
“Zillich was smart about this. He in his interview, he’s like, “I looked over at him thinking, come on over here. Come apologize.” And he said he just looked at him with a stare like, I don’t know what it is with these guys. Why, Why can’t they… youth?”
However, he questioned Day’s failure to issue an immediate apology. In fact, he said he was “floored” by Corey Day’s reaction, which involved staring at a frustrated Zilisch rather than apologizing.
The No. 11 JGR driver also raised questions about how Hendrick Motorsports evaluates developing drivers. Organizations invest with the expectation of returns measured in wins and titles, but when a driver continues to make visible mistakes, fans and especially other drivers will start to scrutinize. Hamlin pointed to the balance between development and production, asking how long it would hold.
The COTA incident was not the first time Day’s racing antics were questioned. Last week, during the Atlanta race, Day was involved in a multi-car crash on lap five after attempting a three-wide move that resulted in contact with Ryan Sieg. The move triggered a chain reaction that collected several cars.
Sieg responded over team radio, questioning both the decision and Day’s presence in the series.
Hamlin argued that drivers are allowed to make mistakes as part of growth. At teams with front-running equipment and title ambitions, time frames are shorter. But he questioned whether Day faces a deadline by season’s end or whether the assessment extends into the following year.
In Day’s case, results have not offset the incidents that have drawn attention. Hamlin referenced Kyle Larson as an example, noting that aggressive driving can lead to contact as well as wins.
Do you agree with Hamlin’s take? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
