By all accounts, the Coke Zero 400 was a rousing success. A first-time winner with an uncertain future and a return to victory lane with a milestone victory for an iconic racing family checked all the boxes in a last-lap superspeedway classic.
While a couple of cars did go tumbling for the second consecutive weekend, we had a rain-free race that rated a solid 90%+ in Jeff Gluck’s weekly poll. What should have been nothing but positives was somewhat soured by the fallout from the resulting win and implications for the playoffs.
Does the playoff format take away from pivotal moments such as Harrison Burton‘s first career win? This week, Trenton Worsham and Vito Pugliese weigh what’s been said over the last few days in 2-Headed Monster.
Winning is What Matters Most
When Harrison Burton broke through to win his first career Cup race last Saturday night, it was on its face, a very popular win. Not only was it a timely win for a driver who finds himself looking for a new ride in 2025, it was the first win for the Wood Brothers since Ryan Blaney at Pocono seven years ago, and their first win at Daytona since Trevor Bayne’s Daytona 500 upset in 2011.
Shortly thereafter on social media, many started to bemoan that Burton’s win wasn’t such a great thing. After all, he was 34th in points and had thrust himself into the playoffs. For the second time in three weeks, a driver with a season mostly consisting of finishing in the rear of the field was brought into the championship conversation … while many other drivers who had been much more competitive are still on the outside looking in with only one race remaining.
So why does the championship have to cheapen these career-defining moments?
Quite simply, it doesn’t.
There’s a word thrown around a lot in social media in the sports world, particularly in NASCAR with the current win and in points system: deserve.
He don’t DESERVE to be in the playoffs, he hasn’t done nothin’ all year!
That driver doesn’t DESERVE that ride, they’re only there because of daddy’s money!
They DESERVE to have a Cup race at that track!
I’ll say this: if it’s September and your favorite driver is 16th or worse in points, do you feel they DESERVE to be contending for a championship? What has changed so significantly that they’ll go from a few top 10s and a sporadic top five to being a title contender?
What matters is winning races.
Yes, there is a financial…
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