Fans Annihilate the “Trash” Playoff System as NASCAR Sharing Popular Meme Backfires Horribly

Published 08/20/2022, 5:30 AM EDT

The thing with memes is, that yes, they are funny (the good ones), but sometimes they can also backfire. This is to say that the intention of making someone else laugh can completely fail as you yourself become the subject of others’ laughter. How does that feel? Just ask NASCAR.

Not only did the meme they shared fail with its intent, but it also became a source of criticism for one of the sport’s most divisive things, the playoff system.

“16 SPOTS FOR 15 WINNERS AND THE REGULAR SEASON CHAMP. WIN AND YOU’RE IN UNLESS WE HAVE MORE THAN 16 WINNERS. GUESS WHAT? THERE’S ONLY ONE MORE SPOT WITH TWO RACES LEFT AND THE FINAL RACE IS A COMPLETE WILD CARD THAT ANYONE CAN WIN,” the text read on the picture of a girl explaining something to a boy who is completely out of it.

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16 SPOTS FOR 15 WINNERS AND THE REGULAR SEASON CHAMP. WIN AND YOU'RE IN UNLESS WE HAVE MORE THAN 16 WINNERS. GUESS WHAT? THERE'S ONLY ONE MORE SPOT WITH TWO RACES LEFT AND THE FINAL RACE IS A COMPLETE WILD CARD THAT ANYONE CAN WIN. pic.twitter.com/9RqpJq5dff
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 19, 2022

This post became an excuse for many fans to criticize the sport and the heavily divisive and debated playoff system.

your rules are a mess and I hate them. I wish it would go back to the old system.
— DG17 (@_DG17_) August 19, 2022

They think this system is fine. They over there laughing about it 🙄
— Chase ➐ (@DeerSlayer518) August 19, 2022

This is not a good thing… This is trash
— HamiltonX44 (@ChaseG829) August 19, 2022

The old system is the real fair way of racing. No knock at kurt but he and his brother missing many races and can come back and still compete for a championship is ridiculous. That 18 should’ve never been allowed to win that championship missing all them races.
— Michael (@SLICKBRAVEHEART) August 19, 2022

Maybe the system is flawed. Don't you think all winners should be in?
— Todd Fiucci (@cyntod) August 19, 2022

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NASCAR gives a special waiver to Kurt Busch after the latest update on his health

After missing out on the last four races because of an injury sustained in his head, Kurt Busch recently announced that he will miss the last two races in the regular season as well.

“As much as I want to be back in the car, the time is still not right,” Busch said on Twitter. “This decision was not an easy one, but the right one.”

Because of this, NASCAR decided to give Busch a special waiver.

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“NASCAR has said previously his waiver would continue into playoffs if he is among the 16 drivers who qualify for playoff field. So he could come back during first round & advance (likely would need to win),” Pockrass reported.

This was something that a lot of fans didn’t really agree with, as they didn’t understand why Kurt Busch was being given the special, exceptional treatment. But for now, it is what it is.

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With two races to go in the regular Cup Season and one spot in the playoffs remaining, Watkins Glen and Daytona are all set to be the most exciting races of this season.

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Shaharyar is an F1 & NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. A graduate in Journalism from Amity University, he has been a passionate follower of motorsports for a better part of the decade. A Max Verstappen and Ferrari supporter, he dreams of a pairing of the two in future.