Why the Big 3 need to root for each other now in the NASCAR Playoffs

When Martin Truex Jr. lost at Martinsville on the last lap, it actually made the situation more precarious for all of the Big 3.

Considering that Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. have been battling it out for NASCAR Cup Series supremacy all season long, you hardly figure they would be rooting for each other to win races down the stretch. Yet in some ways, that’s what the other two should have been doing when the Round of 8 opener at Martinsville was winding down last Sunday.

Because of all the extra playoff points the so-called Big 3 have piled up during the regular season, when they combined to win more than half the races, it was largely assumed that disaster would have to strike to prevent them from reaching Homestead with a shot at the championship. But a funny thing happened once the NASCAR Playoffs started: They’ve pretty much stopped winning, with only Kyle Busch’s Richmond victory to their credit.

Those points are still safeguarding them, but not by much. When Logano beat Truex for the win at Martinsville by beating him out of the way, he claimed one spot in the Championship 4 for himself. No problem so far, as the Big 3 would all still make it in too.

However, that equation gets thrown out the window if anyone other than Harvick, Truex or Kyle Busch win at Texas or Phoenix. Each winner means one less driver makes it in on points, so if it’s a Big 3 member, the others (barring a disastrous day) are still fine. If it’s anyone else, one of the trio is out of Homestead.

It’s a strange situation to be sure, but one that means that these three rivals who have battled tooth and nail for supremacy since Daytona have to be pulling for each other now when the stakes are highest. Each of them will want to win before Miami just to have the security that once seemed so certain, but if they can’t, they’ll certainly be happy to see one of the others take the checkered flag — even if they’d never admit it.