Who would’ve thought that the Watkins Glen race would bring such a shock to NASCAR fans and racers? The second race of the playoffs on the 2.45-mile-long racetrack had wrecks, cautions, and restarts stuffed into it. However, the results and subsequent statistics that were released were more shocking than the race itself. The racing community had to look for playoff drivers with only a few of them making it to the top-20.

Call it the playoff pressure or the urge to play it safe on a challenging racetrack, but the playoff drivers were nowhere to be seen. None of the playoff drivers made it to a podium finish. The best performance from a playoff driver was a sixth-place finish from Chase Briscoe. Other racers, especially the veterans, were far away from positions of prominence, disappointing their fans and hurting their playoff prospects.

NASCAR Cup Series playoffs take an interesting turn

The shocker from Watkins Glen didn’t just end there. Racers like Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell, who have been putting up impressive displays throughout the season, were struggling throughout the race. The two racers finished in the 12th and 14th spots respectively, something unexpected for them. Additionally, a series of disappointing finishes at Watkins Glen means that no one except for Joey Logano is guaranteed a berth in the Round of 12.

As the results of Go Bowling at The Glen are finally out, the situation of several playoff drivers is more grim than expected. The most shocking performances came from the two Joe Gibbs Racing veterans, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. The No. 11 car is 6 points behind the elimination line, while the No. 19, at the 15th spot, is currently 14 points behind the elimination line. The astonishing results came when fans expected a solid run from the 44-year-old, given this is his last run as a full-time driver.

The statistics from Watkins Glen are equally appalling. Seth Egert, Associate Editor for Kickin’ the Tires, has revealed some baffling statistics after the race. Egert said, “Chase Briscoe finished 6th, the best amongst the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff drivers. This is the furthest back that the best of the Cup Playoff drivers have ever finished in a Playoff race.”

The statistic shocked even the best within the racing community. Even for someone like Jeff Gluck. The Athletic Motorsports writer could not believe what he just read. He had to re-confirm the record on the social media platform. Not only did the NMPA Social Media award winner confirm the fact, but also gave fans another shocker in response to Jeff Gluck’s post. Seth Egert further added, “That is correct, going all the way back to 2004 in ‘The Chase’ era, and it gets wilder. This is the FIRST NASCAR Playoffs race for ANY of the 3 National Touring Series that has had ZERO Playoff drivers finishing inside the top 5.”

Another disappointing performance came from Brad Keselowski. Not only did he upset his fans at Watkins Glen with a 26th-place finish. He is currently out of contention for the Round of 12. Only a decent finish at the Bristol Motor Speedway can save his prospects for the season. While these racers have created trouble for themselves with their below-average displays, some have visibly turned the tide in their favor. The most name among such racers is that of Chase Briscoe. The Stewart-Hass Racing’s No. 14 was 21 points below the elimination line after the opening race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The racer has eliminated that deficit and now sits at 6 points above the elimination line with the final last of the Round of 16 remaining.

What happened at Watkins Glen was truly rare and shocking for the fans, too. The racing community is expressing its disappointment with the results on various social media platforms. The performance of the playoff drivers particularly concerns the fans. The kind of heated remarks fans have been making towards the racers reveals that the results didn’t sit well with them.

Fans troll playoff racers left, right, and center!

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The Watkins Glen race has stoked heated discussions about the performances of the racers on Reddit on the r/NASCAR page. Fans, particularly the die-hard ones of the veterans of the sport, have been at the center of the uproar. The situation at Watkins Glen reminds an enthusiastic fan of the 2022 season playoffs when non-playoff racers dominated the playoff races. The fan commented, “I’m curious if we’re setting the stage for another 2022, where a bunch of non-playoff drivers come in and win all these Playoff races.” During the 2022 playoffs, Erik Jones, Bubba Wallace, Chris Buescher, and Tyler Reddick were some of the non-playoff racers who impressed the fans by winning races in the Rounds of 16 and 12.

Other fans were visibly fed up with the kind of racers in the playoffs this year. Frustration has been particularly building up amongst the fans of racers like Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, and Martin Truex Jr. as the performances from these racers have not been enthusiastic this season, especially during the playoffs. A frustrated fan commented, “Looks like the playoff drivers ran out of talent.” 

People also pointed out systemic problems with NASCAR’s process of determining the playoff racers. A critical fan had this to say on the entire issue, “Chastain and Buescher are now T-3rd best in the series with a 14.0 average finish and neither are in the playoffs. While this also speaks to a flawed system IMO, it also showcases incredible parity this year. That average finish would be 8th best 10 years ago.”

People also expressed their frustration about Denny Hamlin’s disappointing run in the two playoff races this year. “Denny has looked like a rookie the last few weeks.”An angry Denny Hamlin supporter commented.

Interestingly, some fans also pointed out the increased competitiveness in the Cup Series this year. An analytical NASCAR enthusiast perfectly sums it up, “In the first round, no less. This is by far the most competitive modern era in NASCAR history. Just about anyone with a charter is a race-winning capable car.” 

What do you think about the race that just went by? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.