When it comes to issues in NASCAR, most fans today would point to the current playoff format as one of the main issues. Most of these fans believe that the current format prioritizes manufactured entertainment over legitimacy when it comes to crowning champions and the chances drivers have to win the championship. There is, however, a way to balance entertainment and legitimacy in the playoffs by adopting a new format that achieves this. In fact, NASCAR has formed a playoff committee comprising approximately 30-40 people who are working together to find the best solution and consolidate their feedback into a format that can work for the sport in the long term.

Currently, NASCAR’s playoff format is composed of four rounds: three rounds with three races, and the final round being a winner-take-all finale (Three rounds of seven races in Xfinity and Trucks). The playoff grid is also composed of 16 drivers (12 & 10 in Xfinity and Trucks) who qualify for the playoffs based on either scoring a win in the regular season or being the highest in points amongst non-winners. Points are also reset once the grid is set, and each driver also transfers over their playoff points earned through stages and wins. After the end of each round, four drivers are eliminated, and the resetting process repeats (two drivers are eliminated in the first round for trucks).

The current format received much more scrutiny than ever before after this past season. Joey Logano won the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Championship with an average finish of 17.11, the lowest in series history for a champion, and would’ve been 14th in points under a full-season points format. Many around the sport felt that winning championships isn’t as special anymore, as a result, and want the format to be changed. While many fans want to return to a full-season format, TV partners and other fans may not be in favor of this change. Fans might also get bored if a driver clinches the title two, three, four, or more races in advance. NASCAR used to have a simpler playoff grid, known as The Chase, which was used from 2004 to 2014. That format had 10 drivers before being expanded to 12 in 2007. That format also did not have the win and you’re in system or elimination rounds, with it just being the highest points finisher amongst the playoff grid after ten rounds. Ideally, to try to compromise with those surrounding the sport, it would make sense to combine elements of The Chase, The Playoffs, and other methods of earning points to make a much fairer playoff format while still trying to reward drivers for wins and race performance.

First and foremost, the first change to an ideal playoff format would be the elimination of the win and you’re in rule. Currently, winning any race in the regular season will lock you into the playoff format. Winning any race in the playoffs will also lock you into the next round of the playoffs and avoid elimination. The problem here is how we’ve seen drivers and teams come from very far behind in points, like Harrison Burton in 34th in points last year and winning their way into the playoffs, knocking out guys like Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace, and Chris Buescher, for example, who had been very consistent all year long. Had Austin Dillon, who was 26th in the points standings, been allowed to keep his 2024 Richmond win playoff eligible, that would’ve knocked Martin Truex Jr out of the playoffs, who was 10th in the regular season standings after Darlington. Dillon, this year, winning at Richmond would knock Chris Buescher out of the playoffs, which would effectively eliminate RFK Racing from the playoffs despite him and Ryan Preece being consistent all year long. In 2022, with the number of winners we had, Martin Truex Jr, despite being 6th in regular season standings, wasn’t able to compete for a championship, and had Kurt Busch not withdrawn from playoff eligibility, Ryan Blaney, who was 3rd in regular season standings, wouldn’t have had a chance to compete for a championship either. In addition, after Joey Logano won Las Vegas last year, he then ran 28th the following week at Homestead and did not have to worry about elimination.

Now, winning as many drivers have advocated for should still have a big reward. In fact, the winner every week is only granted 40 points at least, with second place being granted 35 points at least. As an alternative, a win could automatically grant 45 points instead, ensuring a greater cushion for winning than previously. Speaking of rewarding points, I’d also like to see even more ways to earn points in addition to the stage points rewarded (without cautions). I’d be interested in bringing back rewarding a point for leading a lap, as well as two points for leading the most laps. I’ve enjoyed rewarding a point for running the fastest lap of the race as well, but what about rewarding points for being the fastest car in qualifying? If there isn’t a cancellation, qualifying on the pole, in my opinion, should reward three points. This is something that multiple other motorsports series already do, such as ARCA, Formula E, Formula 2, Formula 3, and IMSA.

In terms of rounds and how many races in the playoffs, the ten-race Chase is a better way to do it instead of keeping the winner-take-all finale or three-race final round, which has been proposed. In addition, the playoff grid would be cut down from 16 to 12. Only the top 12 in regular-season points would be eligible. Playoffs are meant to be for the best of the sport. If we have nearly half the Cup Series grid in the playoffs, are we including the absolute best? In addition, the Xfinity Series playoff grid would be cut down to ten drivers, and the Truck Series playoff grid would be cut down to eight drivers. Both of these would also be a seven-race Chase with no rounds. To keep the aspect of gimmicks alive, however, once a playoff driver is mathematically eliminated, if necessary, that driver will be eliminated and even reset to their position in the regular season standings. This would mean someone who didn’t even make the playoffs theoretically could finish ahead of someone who did make the playoffs. With no rounds or a winner-take-all system, stage points can also be awarded in the season finale. To spice up the finale, too, borrowing from a practice IndyCar maintained until 2022, double points will be awarded for the finale, which could also lead to a wilder finale and more on the line. This would also make it harder for someone to be mathematically eliminated, as mentioned earlier.

While pleasing everyone isn’t the easiest, this is an attempt to please the most. If you want to accomplish this, you have to find ways to combine both legitimacy and entertainment at the same time, and I believe that this format is the best way to do it.

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