The NASCAR playoffs (and season) have officially ended. Ryan Blaney, Cole Custer, and Ben Rhodes are the champions of their respective series. Ford sweeps the championships in a season where few considered them to be contenders. While still no Homestead, Phoenix Raceway put on two exciting races (and one embarrassment) to close out the 2023 season. In the winner-take-all Championship Four races, NASCAR got the added bonus of three fan favorites winning. As long as the ratings are solid, this could be considered a successful weekend for NASCAR. While that can true, this weekend also demonstrated a glaring problem with NASCAR’s current playoff format.
While not many at Pit Pass Network will decry Ben Rhodes, Cole Custer, and Ryan Blaney being the 2023 champions, it cannot be argued that none of them were the best driver of each series. Blaney wins a championship after only finishing with 8 Top-5s. That is the lowest amount of Top-5s for a champion since 1950. Meanwhile, Rhodes had the seventh most Top-5s in the Truck Series. Plus, his number of laps led throughout the season trails two drivers who only started one race. Meanwhile, Cole Custer probably has the best season-long case as he was arguably the third best driver all season. Clearly, the best drivers did not hoist the championships this season.
Now, playoffs do not always reward the best/most consistent team from the season. Look at the MLB this year for a prime example. Neither team in the World Series would have been in the playoffs ten years ago. The five teams with the best record combined to win one game. Playoffs are there to create drama, excitement, and a little bit of chaos. However, does NASCAR’s playoff system go too far?
Who Should Be the Champion?
Before delving into the playoff format, the first question that has to be asked is what should a NASCAR champion be in their season? Obviously, different generations of fans will provide different answers. Old school fans will say the most consistent driver/team over 36 weeks should be deemed the champion of the sport. Fans of the current system will say getting hot at the right time or having that “clutch gene” is fair game to crown a champion. After all, numerous other sports have playoff systems where the best team from the regular season does not win. Why does NASCAR need to be different?
Out of the major auto racing leagues, NASCAR is the only one where there is a playoff system. Formula 1 and IndyCar still do season long championship battles. There is no arguing about who is the “deserving” champion for those series. In order to win those championships, a driver/team has to perform at the top of their game most weeks. Obviously, there is a value in that. Can the format become stale and boring? Frankly, yes. Max Verstappen was essentially F1 champion this year before June ended. Would F1 be better if over the last four races Carlos Sainz won three of them to beat Verstappen for the championship?
Playoffs offer chance for heightened drama in “crucial moments”. In the current playoff format, NASCAR drivers and teams have to survive a gauntlet of elimination rounds in order to get to the championship race. It can be argued that the four drivers who make the Championship Four earned their way to the opportunity for the championship. Sure, the regular season can be diminished since the focus is on the playoffs. However, American fans love their playoff heroes. Being clutch usually is associated with being championship material. For all the fans who have distaste for the playoffs, they will also be the ones to label Denny Hamlin a choker for not succeeding in the format.
One Race Championship
Perhaps the biggest critique of the current playoff system is the one race finale for the championship. Since 2014, NASCAR implemented the Championship Four race to determine the champion. The four drivers who would survive the elimination rounds would compete head to head in a one race round. To keep things simple, the way to win the championship is simple: finish ahead of the other three competitors. No stage or playoffs points to factor in. All four drivers, no matter how the previous 35 races went, would be on equal footing.
Obviously, the ridiculousness of this is clear. After 35 races, the champion for the entire season comes down to how well a team/driver can compete at a single track. How is that a just way of determining any NASCAR champion? With a long history of champions who grinded out an entire season to be worthy of a championship, drivers since 2014 have won it based on surviving through 35 races and being good at either Homestead or Phoenix. This also includes the issue of the Round of 8 where a driver can essentially take off two weeks after winning the first race of the round. The championship finale feels anti-climatic in a sense, especially in the Cup Series. Usually, the champion is pulling away from the competition with a significant chunk of the race to go.
Changing the Rules
Not only is there an issue with the Championship Four being a one race round, but NASCAR completely changes the rules for the championship race. While stages remain, no stage points are rewarded during the race. Playoff points are the most important thing for 32 races, until the Round of 8 since they do not carry over into the finale. Even the nonplayoff drivers are seemingly told to back off the Championship Four drivers during the race, although Ross Chastain disregarded that message.
NASCAR has rules for 35 races throughout the season and then dumps it for a dumbed down version for the championship. As PPN’s own Daniel Smith put it, it would be similar to the NFL deciding the Super Bowl would play by Canadian Football rules and the field was only 50 yards long. It is clear why NASCAR has done this: to keep it stupid simple. NASCAR has decided to make it abundantly clear. Whoever finishes first between the Championship Four gets the trophy. No need for watching out for points throughout the race, which completely ignores the fact that the best part of the elimination races is watching the points throughout the race.
In addition to keeping it simple, NASCAR also wants to avoid the champion being a foregone conclusion before the checkered flag. If playoff and stage points were still implemented, William Byron likely has the trophy locked up by the end of Stage 2 this year. NASCAR cannot risk their “Game 7” moment being ruined by a great season.
The Flaw in NASCAR Playoffs
It is understandable why NASCAR implemented a playoff format in 2004. While Formula 1 and IndyCar still have a season long championship, NASCAR is an American sport attempting to compete for the casual American sports fan. Every other major American sport has a playoff. Even college football has adopted a playoff format. From a competition standpoint, playoffs are an opportunity to allow the best teams from the regular season duke it out with each other to see who comes out on top. However, the real reason for playoffs is money (and ratings).
After Matt Kenseth won the championship in 2003 with one race left and one win, NASCAR implemented The Chase. Since 2004, NASCAR has fiddled with their playoff format numerous times. Whether it has been increasing the number of participants, changing the schedule, or adding in rounds, NASCAR has been searching for their perfect format. They seemingly believe that the current format works, as Steve Phelps claims it “rewards the best drivers”. However, fans will be quick to point out that Ryan Blaney got to race at four of his best tracks in the last six races. Heading into the Round of 8, many were pointing to Blaney to win it all despite a mediocre regular season. That is the flaw of the format. A driver can be the 36 race champion because of a few tracks.
Selling Out for the Playoffs
While Ryan Blaney’s ascent to the championship this year points out this flaw, it is not new to the elimination playoff format. Bob Pockrass did his “Your Kids Don’t Know” segment about the 2004 Chase. While Pockrass was attempting to highlight how great that playoff was, he inadvertently advertised why NASCAR playoffs are a terrible idea.
In the video, Kurt Busch discusses how his 97 team saved their test dates for The Chase tracks at the end of the season. Based on the format, Busch and his team focused predominately on the last ten races of the year. After entering The Chase seventh, Busch went on to win the championship. In the first year of the playoffs, the championship team essentially coasted for the first 26 races before turning it on for the last 10.
That formula has been a proven winner for the NASCAR playoffs. Tony Stewart limped into the playoffs in 2011 but won 5 of the 10 playoff races to win his second championship. Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson exploited the system to become seven-time champions. It did not help when NASCAR expanded the playoffs and implemented the win-and-in policy either. Now, NASCAR has opened the door for the Daytona 500 winner to essentially take the season off thanks to removing the points position requirement. Given the schedule next year, a superspeedway savant or road course ringer with an average finish in the 20s could reasonably be the Cup Series champion.
NASCAR v. Other Sports
Is NASCAR alone in the above stated problem? No, there are plenty of teams in the big four American sports who attempt to coast through the regular season and build for the playoffs. In the NBA, they call it load management. The Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL seemingly use the regular season as their preseason. Hockey and baseball are bit more difficult to coast, but teams usually prepare their rosters for the postseason once they have an idea that they will make it. However, those leagues have teams go one on one against each other. NASCAR has (at least) 36 “teams” driving around the track at once. The two do not compare. Plus, no other sport can see a team win their first game of the season and clinch their playoff spot.
In addition to the fundamental differences between the big four American sports leagues and NASCAR, NASCAR has muddied their playoff format by mixing in a bit of everything now. There are rounds with eliminations but then the championship race is a winner take all event. The way NASCAR has set up their playoffs is if the NBA had seven game series then a championship game to determine the winner. It does not make much sense. The NFL is the only of the four American sports where it is a one game round. However, if the quarterback gets injured during the game, that team does not automatically lose. In NASCAR, a mechanical failure can eliminate you from the winning the championship immediately. Ill-timed illnesses, injuries, or child births can remove a driver from contention in an instant.
Nonplayoff Interference
In addition to cutting a round down to a race, NASCAR also cannot compare to other sports since the eliminated drivers do not leave the competition. At nauseum, commentators talk about how NASCAR is different because nonplayoff drivers are still competing against the playoff drivers. That is an issue when it comes to having a postseason. You will not see the Arizona Cardinals interfering during the NFC Championship game this NFL season. The Texas Rangers did not have the Tampa Bay Rays pitching staff throw against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series.
A playoff system is supposed to pit the elite against each other. NASCAR cannot tell the eliminated drivers to go home. Eliminations now come down to how a driver does against the other playoff drivers and everyone else. Unlike other sports, it is not purely head to head competition.
One could argue that a season long format would have the same issue. A driver who is mathematically eliminated can alter a championship hopeful’s position in the last few races. How is that any different than a nonplayoff driver ruining someone’s day in the playoffs? It is a fair point. However, it is still different when each of the 36 races is run under the same ruleset. Especially with the championship finale, NASCAR alters the landscape for the playoffs.
Return to Season Long Points
Personal preference would be to eliminate the playoff system wholesale. Return back to a 36-season long championship where consistency and excellence reign supreme. Formula 1 does it and is still internationally popular. If NASCAR puts the proper effort into selling it as such, then there is no reason why NASCAR cannot return to the Winston Cup format. While there might seasons like 2003, it will make seasons like 1992 more special naturally.
Manufactured “Game 7” moments are tiresome and have started to become a blight on NASCAR. Look at the Craftsman Truck Series finale and Xfinity Series race at Martinsville as examples. Game 7 moments are special because of their rarity. If every year has Game 7 moments, then it is no long special (or interesting).
NASCAR fears the dominant season and driver. After Jimmie Johnson won six championships, NASCAR saw fans turning away and theorized it was because Johnson was too dominate. Maybe that was the reason. However, one could theorize the reason why fans tuned out was due to the formulaic nature of Johnson’s wins. Fans grew tired of Johnson skating by the first 26 races to whip the field in The Chase. Instead of understanding that fatal flaw in their system, NASCAR double downed and created a system that rewards chaos. Prime example is the fact that Kyle Busch won the championship after missing 11 races.
Dominance Sells
The dirty secret that no one in sports seems to want to accept is that dominance actually sells better than chaos and underdogs. While NASCAR could point to Jimmie Johnson and argue otherwise, why are Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, and Jeff Gordon revered in a way that Johnson is not?
Every other sports sees a boost when a dominant team takes center stage. Super Bowl ratings improve when Tom Brady played in them. March Madness had their best ratings (at the time) when Kentucky was going for the perfect season. Meanwhile, the MLB had their worst World Series (in terms of ratings) with two young and exciting underdog teams. Last year’s March Madness had poor ratings later in the tournament due to all the upsets. Dominance usually sells better than underdog stories.
Why is this the case? Well, if the team or individual is hated enough, everyone watches in the hopes to see them lose. If the team or individual is not despised, then everyone watches to witness greatness excel. Kyle Larson became one of the most popular drivers in 2021 because of how dominant his season was. NASCAR should not fear dominant drivers and teams. They should embrace it.
Fixing the Playoff Format
Since NASCAR will certainly never return to the Winston Cup format, what would be a realistic way to fix the playoffs? Rotating the final race of the season would be a nice change of pace, but would not fix the main problem. Even switching up the playoff schedule yearly would not resolve the issue (nor is it realistic due to contracts). Realistically speaking, NASCAR cannot resolve the “coasting” issue during the regular season. While NASCAR has put incentives in for finishing in the Top-10 in points by the end of the regular season, teams who clinch early will always have an eye toward the playoffs.
Playoff Expansion
What can be fixed though is the Championship Four round. Honestly, it is surprising NASCAR has not implemented this form of a fix already. Recently, three of the four American sports leagues have expanded their playoffs. The formula is pretty straight forward: more playoff games equals more money and ratings. NASCAR has expanded their playoffs in terms of drivers, but they have never strayed away from ten races.
With that in mind, NASCAR should expand the playoffs to be twelve races long. In a twelve race playoff, the Championship Four would be a three race round, same as the first three. The regular season would be reduced to 24 races, but the season would be split into thirds.
If NASCAR implemented this, it would resolve the conflict about the championship being determined by who is the best at Phoenix. While there will be still an issue of tracks lining up better for some drivers over others, three races should offer variety and force consistency. Since the Championship Four should be a collection of the best or hottest four drivers of the season, the competition should be tight and force consistency over those three races.
In addition, playoff points should carry over into the Championship Four round as well as stage points count for each race. Could that mean a champion might be decided before the finale? Yes, but that will happen. Drivers/teams should be rewarded for great seasons instead of punished by evening the playing field for the most important race. It would be better than a winless driver winning it ala Matt Crafton in 2019.
A playoff format is not designed to reward the best regular season team. That pertains to any every version of a playoff for any league. However, incentives should be there for drivers/teams who are consistent throughout the 36 race season. Reward those who have great seasons but also give an underdog the chance. With a twelve race playoff with three race Championship Four, NASCAR would receive a nice balance of “deserving” champions with upsets.
There are so many things wrong with the current playoff system.
Racing is racing and so many things can happen during races that can take a car out it’s hard to name them all. Plus racing vehicles are complex machines and they can break down multiple times thru out a race or series. Then there are other teams and drivers that can take someone out because of their stupidity or something breaking in their car putting them into another.
These are just a few of the many reasons to have accumulative points for each race and racing position thru-out the long season, just like all the other types of racing. There’s a reason for those systems. Fairness! To boil an entire season down to one final race with only 4 cars racing is ridiculous. Even then so many things can happen to take one or more of them out just like what happened to Christopher Bell. After an entire year of racing he has one malfunction and he’s out! All their eggs in one basket. That’s a BIG gamble.
To me it’s a very flawed system. This was done to try to ‘perk up’ a failing racing series. Instead of listening to the fans they try to come up with gimmicks to attract new fans because they lost so many of the old time fans.
Like GLOW’s Liberty Belle said after watching her first professional wrestling match, “Oh I get it! It’s a soap opera!”
The points system in NASCAR is it’s soap opera; the race within a race. It’s fun! I do like the season-long build-up to determine NASCAR’s final four, even if Ricky Stenhouse was never, ever worthy. I have been watching racing since the 70’s when James Hylton was always second in the points standings, just by riding around. I am not a fan of Phoenix Raceway, but EVERY team knew that was where they had to be great. They all had the SAME opportunity to bring their A-Games to Phoenix. For me, Christopher Bell crashing was tough to take. William Byron shoulda’ been champ, but I am so happy that it was anyone but Kyle Larson.
I do like the idea of continuing points accumulation during the last race; increasing the stress and the soap opera-ness. But I’d also like to see the idea of a fifth team — a “wildcard” racing team –introduced for the final race. NASCAR would take all the season-long data and some serious hoops to jump through and announce the fifth team a week before Phoenix. An underdog, a Cinderella Boy, who qualified by another set of points. A race in a race in a race.
I used to be hooked on NASCAR! If I was not watching the race I would be listening to it on the radio, but then I guess it started with the “Lucky Dog” and it has been downhill ever since. I have been involved as a crew member and later as a driver who won a local track championship. I did it with consistency against much faster cars with only one win but I 2nd placed the heck out of them with my home built car and engine. That’s the way it should be. The championship is a reward for all of the hard work for the whole year instead of taking away your points lead and giving it to some “Lucky Dog” … Change the points system back to the old way and watch a lot of the old fans come back. Heck, I might even start back watching again. Why did they change what had worked for so many years? One word…Brian.