NASCAR adopted the current playoff system at the beginning of the 2014 season and has not looked back as it guarantees pressure and the need to perform when the lights are the brightest.
Let’s dive into the current system and see what NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to say about the format.
Explaining NASCAR’s current playoff system
As stated above, NASCAR has put forth the same playoff system since the 2014 season and it has not changed outside of races moving dates, such as Phoenix Raceway replacing Homestead-Miami Speedway as the championship race in 2020.
There are 16 drivers that make the NASCAR playoffs. If a driver wins during the season, they are locked into the playoffs if there are not 17 or more winners. If so, the lowest driver in points with a victory misses the cut.
A driver also needs to be top-30 in the point standings or they will not be eligible to compete in the playoffs. This is to avoid a backmarker team from sneaking into the playoffs out of a random victory.
Each round in the playoffs consists of three events. With 10 races overall, there is a Round of 16, Round of 12, Round of 8, and Championship 4 where four drivers who are not eliminated from the playoffs race for the title at Phoenix.
This has been one of the trouble spots when it comes to the NASCAR playoff system. While there have been few undeserved champions, the fact that a 36-race season comes down to about three hours in one race has flustered some people.
It is understandable why that might be the case. It is the only well-known motorsport that has a known playoff format such as this one. IndyCar and Formula 1 each have season-long formats like NASCAR used to run every year.
The playoff system has gotten the attention of Earnhardt in particular. Let’s dive into what the NASCAR Hall-of-Famer had to say about the current playoff system.
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. discusses the current playoff format
Earnhardt is one of NASCAR’s most popular drivers so whatever comes from his mouth will be listened to closely. This has ranged from desired changes to other mechanisms within the sport.
In mid-November, Earnhardt brought former NASCAR CEO and chairman Brian France, who departed the sport in August 2018 when he was arrested for DUI and possession of oxycodone, onto his podcast.
Earnhardt and France talked about many interesting subjects but the championship-format conversation stood out. Here is what Earnhardt had to say about the championship race.
“The reason why I struggle with that is because the venue may suit a team or a driver. … You wouldn’t ever consider running it at a road course or a superspeedway because that certainly suits some drivers more than other. You try to have it at a neutral facility, if you will, like a Homestead or a Phoenix.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his struggles of one race determining a champion
This is one idea that has been constantly talked about by fans for years. The argument is that NASCAR wants to have a winner-takes-all event that is similar to the NFL’s Super Bowl every February.
However, the drama feels forced and it is just not the championship teams like the NFL. The entire 36-car field competes in the championship race and can have an effect on the outcome of the event.
Plus, the title has only been determined at Homestead and Phoenix throughout the years. The Super Bowl changes location every single time so there is something new on a yearly basis.
That is what NASCAR could do to help solve the issues. If the championship race rotates, it will create a more reasonable outcome but it still remains a problem to those who feel like the season should not end with a one-race shootout.
“But, I always had a hard time with saying, ‘Okay, it all boils down to this one race where you’ve got to get it right and if you don’t you’re not a champion this year.’ Even though you’ve really got this amazing body of work. You can still have that guy that wins one race be the champion and the guy that wins six not even make the final round.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the overall success of a season not translating to a championship
It shows how a mistake within a one-race championship can really destroy your chances. For example, that was seen during the 2022 season at Phoenix between two title contenders.
Joey Logano and Christopher Bell were the top-2 championship drivers before the final caution with Alex Bowman and Michael McDowell. Without the yellow flag, it is very likely that Bell wins the championship due to his long-run speed.
Instead, Logano had an incredible pit stop and Bell struggled on his stop which ended his title hopes. A driver and team almost need to be perfect in one event to claim the championship.
Bell’s case also correlates to there being other drivers on the track while other sports do not have that for their championships. If not for McDowell running over Bowman, the driver of the No. 20 car is a NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Earnhardt had this to say about how he wishes there could be a better way to determine a champion in the sport.
“I wish we could figure out a way to make that championship moment not an all or nothing three-hour affair…I’ve really warmed up to everything else we’ve done. It took me a long time because I was too much of traditionalist. But I still feel like there’s got to be a better scenario for the final moment.”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. on wanting a new system for the championship event
As stated above, this is something that has been felt around NASCAR for years. There has to be a better way to determine a champion and other drivers even agree with this statement.
Denny Hamlin has said he agrees with Earnhardt and that if you asked the drivers, a championship is not as valuable as it was 10 years ago. This is due to the full body of work not being as important.
Hopefully, the team owners, drivers, and notable people within the sport keep talking about this subject. Since NASCAR is working with the drivers more often, there is potential for some type of change.