NASCAR Cup playoffs: Aren't the best of the best supposed to be the ones winning?

Bubba Wallace won at Kansas on Sunday. Erik Jones won the Darlington race last week. The playoffs are going to be decided on the 500-lap race at Bristol on Saturday.  The Round of 16 will be determined by the outcome of that race. There are four drivers eliminated from the current round. They will go into the Round 12 in two weeks. It's a change from usual playoff format. All the drivers that made it to the playoffs received automatic berths.

The Next Generation car is the greatest innovation to the sport since the playoff format was introduced in 2004. No team can claim superiority over some of the lesser teams. The best of them are supposed to be the ones winning.

NASCAR Cup playoffs are very competitive. Some fans are unhappy with this. It's not about the individual drivers, but about a bigger picture.

NASCAR Cup playoffs are supposed to be won by the best drivers. Erik Jones and Bubba are not the most talented drivers, but they won at Darlington and Kansas. Tony Stewart won the championship in 2005 and 2006 despite not qualifying for the playoffs the next season. The next race at Bristol will be a test of the series.  Bristol is the third race of three races taking place on Saturday night. If they win, it will set a tone for rest of playoffs. It's a good thing the teams that didn't qualify for playoffs can still win.

The Championship 4 race in Phoenix on November 6 will decide the NASCAR Cup title.