NASCAR’s crown jewels are as old as the sport itself, and more so, they are dear to every fan. The reason is simple. The Daytona 500 is the sport’s biggest race, the Coca-Cola 600 is the longest, Brickyard is the most iconic venue. And lastly, the Southern 500 is the oldest speedway race of the sport. And the common part among all is that it’s tough to win any one of them, let alone all!

Remember how Dale Earnhardt Sr did not win the Daytona 500 for 20 years? Or how Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr, and many others have never won it in their careers. Even Kyle Busch hasn’t yet (despite being the winningest active driver). And it’s because they are tough! However, saying that it’s as big as winning a championship might be a bit unrealistic. Still, it’s of the same caliber! So tempers are bound to flare if someone tries to demean them. Recently, a NASCAR fan did! And the uproar caused the entire county to come together.

To understand why they are so highly regarded, the fact that only four drivers (Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, and Dale Earnhardt) so far have won all is enough. Now these are also Cup champions. But even if they hadn’t been, achieving this feat would put them straight on the top of the all-time great list. And while Denny Hamlin is yet to win the Bristol 400, if he retires today, championship-less, he’d have a cakewalk to the Hall of Fame.

And Denny Hamlin has won the Daytona 500 (2016, 2019, 2020) and the Southern 500 (2010, 2017, 2021) thrice. So, he is already there! What sparked the debate of the Crown Jewels’ importance was a fan on Reddit saying, “Crown jewels shouldn’t lock you into the playoffs. They’re important enough on their own without the playoffs.” 

The latter part of the statement is in line with the emotions. His not giving the races the same honor as fans feel is what ticked many off. The fan may be trying to say that races are as big as the Cup Series itself and deserve a series of their own. But clearly, that’s not what was picked up from his statement. The statement undermines anyone who’s ever won the race and made it to the playoffs.

If anything, a crown jewel victory should promote a driver directly to the round of 12. That would be honoring it! If you look back, perhaps the reason the ‘win it and you are in’ rule came about was that sometimes crown jewel winners failed to make the playoffs (or the Chase, as it was called back then). That led to questioning the entire format, which is probably why the fans’ comment has gotten such nasty replies.

NASCAR community thrashes the fan

Building on our previous point. Remember, Jamie McMurray’s 2010 season? He almost won all the crown jewels. He won the Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400 and was placed second in the Coke 600 and Southern 500! And yet he did not make it to the Chase. Rather had a P14 season finish. What should have probably been regarded as his best seasons, is not even mentioned. So when one fan wrote, “This may be the worst take in the history of takes,” it’s understandable. And echoing the same emotion, another fan wrote, “Late contender for worst offseason post.”

Well, it doesn’t seem like NASCAR is anytime changing its format. But if it does, maybe crown jewel winners could get some special privileges. A fan wrote, “I think removing the ability to be locked into the playoffs by winning a crown jewel would make them less valuable.” And we agree with this. On the contrary, yes, the crown jewels could have unexpected winners than deserving ones. But that’s the luck part. And that’s true for any race. If not a points advantage, there could be a financial one. Maybe NASCAR should bring back the ‘Winston Million’ (million-dollar prize for winning 3 out of 4 in a season). Only the amount needs to be greater in today’s time.

Regardless, fans weren’t leaving the guy off the hook. One fan was a little too harsh. He wrote, “Honestly? I’d say ONLY they should lock you in.” And while maybe the actual opinion of that fan was lost in a wrong suggestion, one thing was proved thanks to him. That the NASCAR community fiercely unites, if their beloved sport is wronged. On this, one fan wrote, “There’s very few posts that have had the ability to unite this sub, I believe we just found one.”

What do you think of the comment that sparked this uproar? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.