Thanks to the class of Kurt Busch, we were saved from months of hearing how unfair the NASCAR playoff system is, when a driver can finish in the top-4 in points and not make the playoffs.
First let me address Kurt’s situation. I can’t imagine how tough a time this is, in general, for Kurt, forget the difficulty in deciding to give up his spot in the playoffs. If there were any chance he could have made it back by the third race of the playoffs, he still could have qualified for the next round with a win.
In pulling out and opening a spot for another driver, he showed tremendous respect for the sport and the process. Here’s hoping we haven’t seen the last of Kurt in a race car.
Now let’s take a look at the whole point structure. It is working just as it was designed to do. You wonder why guys are battling like crazy in April to pick up a spot or two in the top-10 at the end of a stage…Martin Truex, Jr. misses the playoffs by three points. Like a golfer who remembers every shot, don’t you know he’s going back over every race and remembering where he could have picked up four points over twenty-six races?
While wins count the most, and should, the total body of work still matters. The system is working just fine, thank you.