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Integrity in NASCAR Questionable; Why it's killing the sport

NASCAR has some major problems that are certainly destroying the sport from within. What happened to the sport I love? We have teams, drivers, crews, fans, everyone is angry. Why, let me just give you the reasons. Rules, driver etiquette, just absolute integrity as a whole. The sport as a whole has completely lost its true purpose.

Yes, we're like the NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB, we made our playoffs and we're definitely damn proud of it. You're proud of it. Who even remembers who the champion of the series is? Championships used to mean the world in NASCAR. As a former or current champion on the race track, you were treated with respect. Your competitors knew better than to mess with you. Sport certainly doesn't work that way anymore.

We've certainly come a long way from the days of Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and even Jimmie Johnson. They all showed integrity on the race track. They knew when enough was enough when there was a tough battle on the track. The lack of respect for the NASCAR series champions is only part of the problem.

Integrity in NASCAR Questionable; Why it's killing the sport

Integrity issues in NASCAR start at the top and wither away over time. The sport itself is currently in the middle of a legal battle involving two of its racing teams. 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. Why did it have to reach this point? These teams have not signed the new “charter agreement” and it appears that both teams will not be able to race under a charter next season unless something drastic changes.

Both teams want to expand to a third car and this court situation certainly won't help their cause. This situation is not easily remedied as it involves an antitrust lawsuit filed by Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin's 23XI and Front Row Motorsports. This may be just the beginning of trouble for NASCAR, as a new controversy has recently flared up.

Do teams steal setups?

According to a report by Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press, the sport is aware of a race team engineer allegedly leaking confidential information. More or less someone in this sport illegally passed the setups from one racing team to another. Here we are again, with no integrity in sport. That's like Hendrick Motorsports sharing trade secrets with JTG Daughtery Racing. It's one thing to communicate with your teammates when you're working and driving in a multi-vehicle organization.

The report did not name any names or state the actual allegations. However, according to ESPN, the engineer is reportedly in a contract year with Joe Gibbs Racing. What does this sport bring? JGR declined to comment. They still have two cars in the running for the Cup Series championship, but potentially being embroiled in scandal doesn't help an already broken sport.

Who cares about rules and regulations?

It's something that's been bugging me for a while. The Next Gen era of the NASCAR Cup Series has seen many intense races and many different winners. That's great, but do some of these drivers who are getting good runs actually belong at the front of the field? Sorry, but if Corey Lajoie's current #7 car was constantly on air because he was in a car accident, it's not a good idea to keep pushing that the driver has what it takes. I'm sorry, but Lajoie isn't the only driver who doesn't seem to care about NASCAR's rules and regulations. Oh wait, neither does the sport itself. The 2024 season has seen many controversial moments. There's the Austin-Dillon-Richmond fiasco, Josh Berry and Ryan Blaney's run-ins with tow truck drivers. The biggest controversy of all is people just trashing each other.

No, the biggest controversy of all is the NASCAR playoffs, there I said it. Oh, you won a cool race, you're in the playoffs. Sorry Harrison Burton, not an easy thing against you, that was a great win. Was he one of the 16 best drivers this season, no. Sport has to do something different. These drivers are way too competitive and if I'm honest it would be crazy for the playoffs to continue the way they have.

Are championships even important?

I grew up knowing that winning a championship was the pinnacle of motorsports. The last four NASCAR champions were Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney. It's nice to hear some equality among the champions, but this sport has always had its dominant championship riders. Sure, people like to say that Elliott's was a Mickey Mouse championship. Who cares, he is a NASCAR champion and will always have that honor. All we see in recent history is Joey Logano fighting his way to the Championship Four every two years. Why is he treated better than Elliott or Even Blaney, especially by other drivers on the track during a race? Logano always drove through people to win races. For this he was put in his place by previous masters of the sport.

Why are Elliott and Blaney the only former champions who seem to have a weekly goal that costs them every week? Because they are sons of former Cup drivers. They are both experienced drivers and have won their championships with flying colors. This disrespect for championship level drivers has certainly only been hindered by this outdated format. Elliott spoke with Claire B. Lang this week about what he needs to do to overcome a 53-point deficit and make it to the Championship Four. He certainly didn't blame Logano for winning in Las Vegas, but he certainly blamed the format.

The lack of respect for former champions of the sport is a joke. That's why it seems that NASCAR championships no longer matter at all. What else is new about this sport?

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