Evolution is everywhere in sports.  And, oftentimes, it brings with it, unexpected benefits.

We’ve talked a lot on this show over the years about how NASCAR’s playoff system has benefitted the late-season schedule.  It’s added storylines to races that wouldn’t have existed under the old system.

I’m not big on doing things that are a total waste of time.  That’s why I don’t understand the folks who, each year, insist on declaring a Cup champion based on the point standings from the pre-playoff days.

I can’t imagine a more satisfying end to a season than with the three champions we have in NASCAR’s National Series.

Age and longevity are interesting things in sports.  They certainly make competitors wiser and sometimes they mellow them.

The margins are there for a reason.  It’s been interesting listening to the folks who think Martin Truex, Jr. was treated unfairly by NASCAR when he was busted for speeding at Bristol.  After all, he was a playoff driver and going less than a mile and hour over the limit.

Well, that was interesting.  Starting the Cup playoffs with a superspeedway-type race certainly turned things upside down a bit.

The 2024 Cup regular season will be remembered as one of the craziest ever.  If NASCAR were to draw up an ideal finish to the regular season, it would probably look a lot like the one we just had; and we’d all say it was too “Hollywood”.  There’s no way it would happen in reality.

Sometimes in the middle of great celebrations, acts of class and good sportsmanship get lost.  Such was the case in Daytona last weekend.

Austin Dillon did what he had to do to win.  Agree with his methods or not, it’s as simple as that.

For a sport that, for years, was accused of being stuck in a rut, let’s just take a minute and appreciate the new advances that we’ve seen unveiled in the last few weeks.  Advances that could impact NASCAR for years to come.