NASCAR fans rally against ‘dumb’ off week verdict | Sports News

NASCAR fans have gone against a Reddit person’s “dumb” verdict on the game’s off week, with supporters defending the choice to have no Cup Series race this weekend.

For simply the second time this season, racing fans shall be with out a factors race this weekend. Following final Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Cup Series is taking its second scheduled off weekend of the 2026 season earlier than returning subsequent week at Iowa Speedway.

The transient pause offers drivers, groups and crew members an alternative to recharge forward of the ultimate 4 races of the common season and the essential push towards the NASCAR Playoffs. NASCAR sometimes schedules a couple of off weekends every season, with the primary coming over Easter.

The newest break arrives after 22 Cup Series races and simply earlier than one of probably the most important stretches of the marketing campaign. Once racing resumes, solely 4 occasions will stay earlier than the 16-driver NASCAR Playoffs discipline is finalized.

One NASCAR fan on Reddit has prompt a main overhaul of the Cup Series schedule, calling for the elimination of off weeks and the All-Star Race to be added to a different race weekend. They additionally need the season shortened by two weeks, permitting the marketing campaign to conclude in October.

The suggestion was met with lots of backlash from NASCAR fans, with many pushing back against the concept. One person mentioned: “Shortening the schedule still doesn’t give them a week off in the middle of the season. You gotta have some bye weeks with the season this long.”

Another fan added: “Give the teams a break and go touch some grass. Understand that the crew members are going from feb to November with little weekends off to spend with their family. And your idea only gives them time off when kids are in school. This lets crew members have a little bit of summer with their kids.”

One NASCAR fan argued that whereas off weeks aren’t inherently “dumb,” the timing of the most recent break is questionable. They mentioned: “Off weeks aren’t dumb but the timing of it is a little strange to me. To me they would have been better off utilizing this off week during week 1 of the NFL Sunday. That race is going to get a horrible rating so may as well take the week off.”

Denny Hamlin enters the uncommon midseason off weekend atop the Cup Series standings, one of 4 drivers already locked into the playoffs and second in wins, with the remaining discipline battling for the opposite 12 postseason spots over the ultimate 4 races.

The break comes at a good time for a number of prime contenders. Tyler Reddick leads the sequence with 5 wins and sits second in factors, though he hasn’t gained since April at Kansas Speedway. He completed tenth at Sunday’s Brickyard 400 after beginning third. Ryan Blaney is third in factors however noticed his streak of 11 straight top-11 finishes finish at Indianapolis after being caught in a late nine-car crash, leaving him twenty sixth and costing him the $1 million In-Season Challenge prize.

Hamlin’s teammate Ty Gibbs grew to become the fourth driver to clinch a playoff spot after scoring stage factors, main 46 laps and ending twelfth at Indy. Carson Hocevar, in the meantime, completed within the prime 10 for the second time in three weeks after struggling for consistency earlier within the season. The Spire Motorsports driver sits fifth within the standings.