NASCAR Cup Series teams have not enjoyed an off-week since April 20, so no one would blame them for experiencing some burnout. After all, the season finale at Phoenix Raceway will mark the 28th consecutive week they raced.
Yet, many drivers remain engaged even as the end of the season quickly approaches. They still have something to fight for, a goal to pursue.
“Given the fact that you’re still in the playoffs, the grind doesn’t even hit you because you’re still racing for the main prize,” Joey Logano said at Talladega. “I say all the time that the goal during these ten weeks is to have the pressure on you all the way through, because as soon as you’re knocked out, I’m being honest, it sucks.
“I say all the time that we have one goal as a team when the season starts and that is to win the championship. It’s nothing else. So when the dream dies for that year, it’s horrible.”
This season has been unlike others due to how NASCAR laid out the schedule. Last season, they had two weeks off in late July and early August while NBC Sports aired the Olympic Games.
In 2023, the teams only had one week off, but it took place after the trip to Sonoma Raceway. They competed in wine country on June 11 and then they took a weekend off. This split the season almost in half.
The Cup Series teams raced for 17 consecutive weeks starting with the Daytona 500 and ending with Sonoma. Once they returned to action, they raced for 20 consecutive weeks before closing out the season at Phoenix.
This season, they only had Easter Sunday off. After that, it was game on for the rest of the season.
“For me personally, this has been a really, really long stretch of races, and I’m sure that most of the industry would say that,” Christopher Bell said. “Our off week came really early in the year, so, this has been a grueling part.
“But with what we’re racing for, and this stage of the championship hunt you’re as focused and tuned in as ever. Maybe that’ll make the burnout a little bit tougher after the end of the year, but certainly right now, we’re all in all in.”
Thirty-six full-time drivers enter the season at Daytona International Speedway full of energy and ready to compete at NASCAR’s top level. It’s only February, and they are ready to be back after multiple months away from the garage.
The feeling changes as the season progresses. Those who have locked into the playoffs with wins remain heavily invested. They know they will still be in contention for a title when the playoffs begin.
Once only 16 drivers remain in contention for the title, the feeling changes. Those who are out of the title hunt still go out with the goal of competing for a win before November, but they also start looking ahead to the offseason and the changes they can make before the next season.
The number of drivers in contention continues decreasing as the playoffs take place. They continue to think about how they can win the championship. The other drivers, as Logano noted, just feel disappointment due to falling short of their goal.
The October stretch is the time when burnout could really set in for some of these teams, especially with a lack of off-weeks. This hasn’t yet happened for the championship contenders, but they certainly acknowledge it could be just around the corner depending on how the Round of 8 plays out.
“Yeah, I mean, I think still being in the playoffs and competing for a championship distracts you from the grind in a way or that it has been as long as it has been since we’ve had a break,” Kyle Larson said.
“I think the guys who didn’t make the playoffs or who got knocked out in a round — yeah, they’re probably just counting down the days until the season is over. But for us, we’re still in it, so I haven’t really felt like I want the year to be over.
“…I mean, even if they threw in one more off weekend, it’s still a lot. But yeah, I mean it kind of is what it is. It’s probably tougher on the crew and the mechanics than it is for us drivers because they live it every single day of the week and work long hours, especially this time of year.”