“It’s kind of nature of sports” - HMS ace William Byron gives verdict on the predictability of Championship race

William Byron touched upon how the NASCAR Championship race has become predictable of late. The Hendrick Motorsports driver is of the opinion that a change down the road is necessary for the NASCAR playoff since it has "gotten a little bit" unsurprising.

Statistically, the NASCAR Cup Series has seen the same names over and over again as the winner in the last three seasons. In 2022, Joey Logano of Team Penske claimed the title, followed by the same team's other driver, Ryan Blaney.

In 2024, Penske's Logano clinched his third overall Cup Series title, and his second in three years. At the same time, he also handed Team Penske their third consecutive owner's title. Since then, the winners have all been the same, that too, on the same track. Byron believes there should be a change.

“I think it deserves a look for sure and probably a change down the road,” Byron said (via AP News). “I just don’t know what that change is. I feel like we’ve just gotten into such a routine of going to the same racetrack for the final race, and having similar tracks that lead up to it has gotten a little bit predictable."

"But you could say probably the same thing in other sports, with the (Kansas City) Chiefs hosting the AFC championship every year. It’s just kind of the nature of sports, probably; it gets a little bit repetitive. But it’d be nice to see the final race to move around," William Byron, who missed out the championship in Phoenix, added.

NASCAR has been hosting the season-ending race at Phoenix Raceway since 2020 after the governing body moved the schedule out from Homestead-Miami after nearly two decades.

Besides William Byron, there has been a spree of criticism for the playoff format, as it provides no significant advantage to the driver with the most wins or the driver with the regular championship.

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Joey Logano disagrees with William Byron, claims no change is required

Defending Cup Series champion, Joey Logano has disagreed with Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron and argued that the change in the playoff system is unnecessary.

Here's what the Team Penske driver said (via AP News):

“The playoff system is very entertaining. It takes a lot to get through the 10 races to win the championship. When the playoffs start, a lot of times you see teams that fire up. And we’ve been one of those teams, thankfully, and it’s worked out for us three times. But I don’t think that means you have to change the playoff system.”

NASCAR Cup Series driver Joey Logano (22) talks to the audience after being announced as the three-time Cup champion during the NASCAR Awards Banquet - Source: Imagn

Notably, Team Penske started the 2024 season on an underwhelming note as neither Austin Cindric, Joey Logano nor Ryan Blaney managed to win a race in the first 10 races. However, once Cindric opened the gates of glory in Illinois, there was no looking back for Roger Penske's team.