Car FYI

NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano holding the Championship Trophy in 2024 after prevailing in the Playoff Finale at Phoenix Raceway. (Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR) Every year since its 1948, NASCAR’s top division has crowned a champion at the end of a season of racing. In the 77 years, there have been various points-paying formats for the title but none has been so polarizing as the current NASCAR Playoffs for the Cup Series . Ever since its inception, the championship-deciding 10-race format attracts strongly polarizing views of the sport’s fans and observers. Supporters of the current Playoff format promote the diverse group of contenders late in a season, how it directly rewards winning races and there is a certain crowning of a champion at the final race. Detractors of the NASCAR Playoffs have been vocal since its initial incarnation in 2004 (called the Chase for the Cup) criticizing it as manufactured title hunt which, in honesty, it is. One major argu...

Photo Credit: Pattie Petty/NASCAR When it comes to stock car racing or even auto racing in general, the name Richard Petty ranks alongside the legendary stars of any major sport. The son of early stock car racing icon Lee Petty, Richard’s accolades behind the wheel are marks drivers today struggle to beat. Amassing 200 victories in the NASCAR Grand National/Cup Series including seven championships, Petty would retire from driving in 1992 with the lofty nickname of “The King”. Although his on-track feats would be enough to earn the moniker, professionalism and business sense reflected by a long-term partnership with automotive additive company STP combined with a fan-friendly personality has made Richard Petty a figure that continues to resonate among the motorsport community. Before all the victories and championships, a 1/3-mile oval on Toronto’s Exhibition Place was the site where everything started.  Richard Petty was born the son of Lee Petty who achieved three championships ...