As Chastain and crew celebrated within the Kansas daylight, the scope of successful within the NASCAR Cup Collection was delivered to mild.
Profitable within the Cup Collection has by no means, ever been a straightforward process, however since NASCAR launched the “win and also you’re in” playoff system in 2014, the which means of a race win has appeared to get misplaced in all of the speak of the postseason.
Wins could carry extra weight in defining a driver’s championship standing than they used to, as they will equal each a playoff berth and a ticket to the subsequent spherical of the playoffs, however when drivers win races these days, all that appears to be talked about is the playoff implications.
That is to not say the championship implications aren’t necessary, however oftentimes, the tales behind race wins are buried by the affect the victory has on the season as an entire.
When Harrison Burton shocked the world at Daytona on Aug. 24, the main target wasn’t on Burton’s first profession win or the historic Wooden Brothers workforce. It was on Burton — who had been final in factors for a lot of the second half of the season — miraculously incomes a NASCAR playoffs berth.
When Alex Bowman triumphed at Chicago on July 2, the primary storyline wasn’t Bowman breaking an 80-race winless streak after overcoming a number of accidents, however reasonably, the No. 48 workforce making the playoffs after a one-season hiatus.
The championship is necessary, however race followers watch races with the intention to discover out who wins. They look ahead to the tales that each driver within the area gives, whether or not they end first or final.
Chastain could have upended the playoff area on Sunday, however that does not imply his win ought to be any much less talked about. Chastain broke a 30-race winless streak of his personal on Sunday, because the win was his first because the 2023 championship race at Phoenix.
Curiously sufficient, Chastain’s final victory was additionally overshadowed by the playoff conversion, although that occasion was rather more comprehensible, as Chastain received the season finale.
On this case, nevertheless, Chastain’s victory deserves to be water cooler fodder for each NASCAR fan. The championship dialog is essential, but when one in all NASCAR’s most entertaining drivers lastly breaking via after a irritating season did not present sufficient speaking factors for the week, nothing will.
Chastain’s win exhibits that he is nonetheless among the best within the enterprise and that regardless of the championship standing of the successful driver, successful a NASCAR Cup Collection race is at all times one thing to have fun.
