There is no question that this past weekend at the Charlotte Roval was filled with excitement. Yes, it was a cutoff race for two out of the three series racing there this weekend. In my opinion, there were much grander stories to tell than who was eighth or ninth in points. Ultimately, this race weekend proved that the NASCAR Playoffs distract from more interesting stories. Specifically, this weekend the NASCAR Playoffs distracted from superstar development in the media.

Brad Keselowski wasn’t the only one to notice it. Several members of Pit Pass Network noticed it in our group chat on X during the Xfinity Series race. Connor Zilisch had just won his 10th race as a rookie, but all the talk was about the cut line. That for sure is a strike against the playoff format. At the very least, it is a strike against the television coverage of the race.

While NASCAR executives probably wouldn’t admit it, their falling ratings probably have something to do with the lack of superstar power. Rivalries make the sport great, but no one really cares about rivalries between those racing for 15th or 25th. People care about rivalries between superstars. Immediately, Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and Jeff Gordon come to mind, but those weren’t the last superstars. There was the rivalry between Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch. Also, there was the rivalry between Harvick and Hamlin. Even the era of “the big three” (Harvick, Busch, Truex), which sparked the decision to attempt to force the field together had that rivalry between those three. Unfortunately, the way they are covered, the NASCAR Playoffs distract from that which brings eyes to the sport.

The Superstars of the Charlotte Roval

Since the NASCAR Playoffs distracted NBC/USA and CW from properly covering the superstars of this past weekend, Pit Pass Network is going to give them the coverage they deserve in this article. Despite the fact that the Roval wasn’t a cutoff race and thus FS1 wasn’t nearly as egregious in their distraction, I’m going to cover the truck superstar as well. First, I am going to start with the Cup Series superstar of the weekend.

NASCAR Playoffs distract

@thirstythrees X/Twitter

Cup Series Roval Superstar: Shane van Gisbergen

Fresh off his first top 10 at an oval, SVG was going for his 5th straight win on a road course. That’s wild to even think about. For a while there it looked like two other superstars, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell might keep him from his fifth straight win on a road course. In the end, SVG won, by a lot. To be specific, SVG won by 15.16 seconds over Kyle Larson.  Previously, he beat Christopher Bell at Watkins Glen by 11.116 seconds. Furthermore, he won the Mexico City race by 16.567 seconds over C. Bell. That is absolutely wild and deserving of more focus than what the broadcast gave him.

Furthermore, he led more than half the race at the Roval. SVG led 57 of 109 laps. Only one driver in NASCAR history has ever won 5 road course races in a row. That legend’s name is Jeff Gordon. Finally, there have been 579 total laps on road courses this season. Shane van Gisbergen has led over half of them, leading 301 laps.

Folks, I get that some drivers’ championship hopes were over after this race. Still, we have a tremendous talent in NASCAR when it comes to road racing. Who knows how long we will have him? I’m fairly confident he could go race Formula 1 and win races, if he wanted to. NASCAR is short on superstars, but it isn’t because they don’t have capable drivers. It is because they don’t get the media focus they deserve. The NASCAR Playoffs distract from its superstars.

Xfinity Series Roval Superstar: Connor Zilisch

Watching the CW cover the Xfinity race at the Roval is when I first noticed that the NASCAR Playoffs distract from superstar story lines. I was so angry with the distraction that I kept complaining that Zilisch had won 11 times in his ROOKIE season. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that it was Kyle Larson who won in the 88 earlier this year in Texas. The other 10 wins are Connor’s. Still, the point remained. NASCAR desperately wants ratings. Yet, they forget that superstars bring ratings rather than races for 15th. I mean part of the argument for this playoff format is that it makes winning more important. Unfortunately, winning didn’t seem that important at the Roval this past weekend.

I’m going to be honest with you. When I get angry, I often don’t remember all the details of what is going on in those moments. I don’t even remember who the broadcast team was focused on. Unfortunately, I do remember thinking that they were not giving the credit to Zilisch which he deserved. Honestly, it kind of feels like NASCAR is focused on bringing socialism to racing. In a way, the cup Next Gen car is focused on parity. The NASCAR Playoffs distract from the superstars.

Especially this past weekend at the Roval, it kind of felt like when you’re a child and the “sports” you take part in hand out participation trophies. I mean I love that Austin Hill got eliminated. It’s awesome that JR Motorsports got all four of their cars into the next round. I’m happy that Sheldon Creed made it. I’d be happier for him if he finally won a race though. I feel like NASCAR needs to focus on what made it big in the first place: superstars and their rivalries. For me, what excites me most about next season in this series is seeing superstars Connor Zilisch and Rodney Childers get to work together.

NASCAR Playoffs distract

David Jensen — Getty Images

Truck Series Roval Superstar: Corey Heim

I’m not going to spend too much time here. First, the Truck Series race at the Roval wasn’t a cutoff race. Second, FS1 did a better job at covering the run that Corey Heim has been on. Ultimately, I do feel like if it had been a cutoff race this wouldn’t have been the case. Finally at the time of my writing, we already have a great example of how to focus on the Truck Series Roval Superstar here on Pit Pass Network with Marvin Wingfield’s NCTS Race Recap.

Still Corey Heim is a Truck Series superstar, not just this weekend, but just about every weekend. As Marvin wrote, “NASCAR is the only thing that can stop the historic season of Corey Heim. Even if he does not win the championship, it will be the greatest season in truck series history.”

Personally, that performance at the Roval may be the greatest truck series performance at the Roval. Okay, yeah, right now it’s the only race. Still Heim was in a crash on lap one at the front of the field and sustained serious damage. He still came back and won the thing. That’s impressive. That is superstar-level impressive. It is sad to think that if this had been a cutoff race that could have been even more buried underneath the playoff manufactured drama.

The Solution?

I’m not sure what the solution is when it comes to the points system. Personally, I liked the old 36 race total points system. Then again, I like the idea of any driver with a win having a shot, even if it’s a long one, at the championship. Whatever NASCAR does with the points system, they need to develop superstars. If they keep the playoffs, then they need to tell the networks covering it to not sacrifice superstar-level narratives for squeezing into-the-next-round narratives.

Right now, the NASCAR Playoffs distract from superstar development in terms of media coverage. Somehow, even with the Next Gen car, we have drivers doing superstar things on the track. That’s more important to the sport than any game 7 moment where someone squeezes through to the next round.

For goodness sake, focus on greatness!