The Maelstron 500

A VORTEX OF POINTS RACING AND CHARTERSYSTEM LAWSUITS IS HINDERING NASCAR'S ON-TRACK ACTION.

NASCAR IS A CRUCIBLE for grudges, but lately it's been making the bad grudges worse and the good grudges rare. Boring stage races and the Chase for the Cup playoffs frustrate fans. Owners battle the organization and one another around the charter system. Drivers still play out rivalries on and off the track, and desperation to make the playoffs has poured gas on the fire. And now the automakers are deep into the lunacy too. Animosity abounds, but the NASCAR stories aren't more compelling. They're just aggravating.

The core problem with NASCAR's top-tier Cup Series is that there's less on-track excitement, as winning the title is a game of points rather than driving fast. By putting so much into deciding a champion at the last race of the season, NASCAR made every other weekend less meaningful. That comes at the expense of competition that reveals excellence, leads to greatness, and creates legends. Close competition is fine, but if every driver is equal, none can stand out. Standing out is necessary for stardom, and stars are what sell tickets, draw eyeballs to broadcasts, and move merch.

For fans who love racing for racing's sake, NASCAR has a huge chance to make things better. Namely, a new $7.7 billion broadcasting contract covering the next seven seasons. That's seven years to encourage change and experimentation. A big window for making things better.

It wasn't always like this. NASCAR started the playoff format in 2004 to juice end-of-season TV ratings, which, they seemed to believe, could be crushed if the title wrapped up early. The format of the 10-race tournament has been regularly tweaked ever since in ways that only make things more convoluted. Stage racing came in 2017, breaking up the action with predetermined yellow flags. Now a driver can earn points without finishing. It's like the NBA giving the Lakers credit for leading at halftime.