Performance vs. Results: What Really Matters in Racing?

With silly season in full swing, the driver market is going haywire across all motorsports. One of NASCAR’s top teams is shutting down, leaving four seasoned drivers without a ride. Meanwhile, in F1, Lewis Hamilton’s shocking move to Ferrari has left the only driver (Carlos Sainz) besides Max Verstappen to win a race in each of the past two seasons wondering where he’ll end up.

Often, a driver is overlooked for top rides due to lackluster results on their resume. But poor results don’t always equate to poor performance. In motorsports, the debate rages on: should drivers be judged by their performance or their results? It’s a question that cuts to the core of racing, where luck and skill often collide.

Parker Kligerman, on a recent episode of The Money Lap podcast, shared his thoughts on the topic. “I can't stand when racers talk about results versus performance. You could lead 199 laps, blow a tire on the last lap, and finish 31st. Someone will say, ‘Man, you just didn't have it that day.’ And it’s like, no, you did.”

Kligerman's frustration highlights a key point: performance and results aren’t always the same. A driver might perform brilliantly but end up with a poor result due to bad luck. Conversely, a driver might score a top finish despite a shaky performance, thanks to the misfortunes of others or a well-timed gamble.

“Performance is subjective,” Kligerman continues. “You can say we had a 15th place car and ran 10th or 11th. But the funny thing about this game is the result is worth so much more than the performance.”

Landon Cassill, reflects on his own career. “I wish that through my 20s as a professional racecar driver, I would have understood that more. We focus on the performance to justify why we did what we did. It’s okay that we ran 10th that day or ninth that day or fifth that day. That fifth was great because we were really a 12th place car.”

In racing, results often dictate a driver's career trajectory, but true fans know that performance tells the real story. But at the end of the day, results are what write the checks.

Would you rather have a driver with great performances and no results to show for it? Or would you rather have a driver with some not-so-great performances that seem to always end up with a good result nonetheless?

Let us know what you think! Are results or performance paramount in racing? Comment below! 👇

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