Since Joey Logano’s championship triumph last season, NASCAR insiders, including Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, and a growing chorus of fans, have been calling for a revamp of the playoff format. While many expected changes in 2025, officials have confirmed that the current structure will remain intact for this season, with potential adjustments deferred to 2026.
Advertisement
NASCAR has formed a committee, which includes Christopher Bell, to evaluate what the new format could entail. In the Next Gen era, Team Penske has thrived under the current rules and car specifications, winning all three championships since 2022.
Discussing the topic on Dale Jr. Download, Hamlin said, “I think that that (the new format) would reward the better champion. Not that there’s been a champion that’s not been deserving, but it’s certainly the bigger the sample size that you give, it’s going to be more indicative of your top drivers that perform week in week out.”
He added, “Like you talk about, not just one particular week. So, I certainly would be in favor of a championship round. Like we have all the other rounds, why not a championship round?” Hamlin believes such a format could draw cities and fans alike into a more engaging and meaningful championship showdown.
Hamlin also spoke about this on his own podcast, Actions Detrimental, noting that regular-season standings offer a truer measure of performance than the playoffs, which surprise winners or one-off upsets can sway. “There’s been no flukes, been no accidental winners. It’s the biggest sample size we have in the sport, so that’s why I think it’s the most legitimate,” he stated.
Hamlin has long argued that the regular season should carry more weight, or at the very least, grant its champion a tangible advantage entering the playoffs, or simply make the finale a round of three races rather than one single race. Without such a system, all drivers start from scratch in the playoffs, leaving little reward for season-long consistency and dominance.
With Hamlin now boasting 58 Cup Series wins, both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Hamlin himself believe the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran might extend his career not only to surpass Kyle Busch’s Cup win total (63) but possibly to push toward the 70-win mark.
