Kevin Harvick won his only NASCAR Cup Series championship in the first season that featured the current multiple round, elimination format back in 2014.
But he’s no fan of it.
In the aftermath of a penultimate race of the season that was marred by result manipulation by teams and manufacturers, and a responding NASCAR penalty, Harvick took to his weekly YouTube show/podcast and offered a suggestion.
“Let’s face it, this format is exciting,” Harvick said. “[But] we do not have the best four cars in the Championship 4. Now, we do have a regular season champ with Tyler Reddick, but he’s not the regular season champ if Kyle Larson shows up to Charlotte. … What if we took the regular season champ and he got an automatic bid into the final four. We reward the regular season points champion with a spot and he’s in the Championship 4.
“Well, guess what second place, you’re gonna go to the Round of 8. And then your third-place guy, he’s gonna go to the Round of 12. Fourth, you’re gonna be in the Round of 16. Because at least then, it gives you something in the regular season to not only race for first, but we’re racing for second, third, fourth to get championship points and an automatic berth into each round of the playoffs.”
This was all a response, not only to the race manipulation items that happened at Martinsville, but also the fact that the final four doesn’t feature this year the four best teams.
In fact, statistically speaking, a case could be made that this is the least potent combined final four. Like Harvick said, Reddick was the regular season championship somewhat only because Larson missed the Coca-Cola 600 to race the Indianapolis 500.
Joey Logano, despite his status as a two time champion, takes the worst statistical overall season that has ended in a final four with his 17.6 average finish, 14th amongst all drivers. William Byron has a 14.7 average finish and hasn’t won since April. Ryan Blaney is the defending champion and has had a competitively solid if not spectacular campaign.
Harvick wasn’t the only driver to express dissatisfaction with the status quo after the weekend either.
NASCAR’s Senior vice president of competition Elton Sawyer praised the format after the race on Sunday.
“Thought our competitors, the Playoff system, I would say it has delivered” Saywyer said. “It puts these guys on ten tents and they have to bring their A game every week.”