Ever since the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule was announced, fans and insiders have criticized the governing body’s move to include Talladega in the Round of 8 during the postseason. Superspeedway races are known to be unpredictable and the argument is that a lot of deserving drivers might not make the championship race as a result.
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This has been an issue in the sport ever since the playoff format was introduced. NASCAR’s executive Vice President Ben Kennedy recently explained the organizers’ point of view on the decision. Among those not pleased by having Talladega as a Round of 8 race is eminent motorsports journalist Jeff Gluck. On an earlier episode of The Teardown, he raised the same point about unpredictability.
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— Talladega Superspeedway (@TALLADEGA) August 29, 2024
As per Gluck, the Talladega race might prove detrimental since it could easily knock out the best-performing driver in the competition before the championship race. However, it is this unpredictability that the NASCAR officials are betting on when they decided Talladega to be a Round of 8 fixture.
“I think you could make an argument that the people and the drivers that are going to be competing in the Round of 8 are going to be the best eight drivers in our sport,” Kennedy said in a recent media interaction.
He added, “I think it puts more of an emphasis on your points effort throughout the entire season. I think it will be interesting to watch. It will be unpredictable in a lot of ways, as Talladega always will be. As a fan, it will be fun to watch.”
The NASCAR executive vice president also said that it would put a lot of emphasis on the playoff drivers to maximize their points position. A surprise winner in the playoffs makes for an interesting run to the championship race and that’s exactly what Talladega provides. However, fans probably do not want to see that in the second-last stage of the playoffs.
Dale Jr. backs NASCAR’s Talladega decision
Dale Earnhardt Jr. usually echoes what the fans feel but this was not one of those times. Junior is a huge fan of the Talladega Superspeedway and fully backs NASCAR’s decision to move it to the Round of 8.
The two-time Xfinity Series champion believes that the playoff drivers will be faced with a tough challenge and that’s exactly what he wants. The entertainment value of the race will certainly be there for all to see even if it impedes the competition’s integrity.
“I know that there’s an 80% chance you’re gonna crash and I know that there are a lot of fluke winners or the potential chance for a long-shot winner. But I don’t think that should scare the industry away from being…throw the drivers right into those difficult scenarios. Throw them into those moments where we want to see them panic,” he explained on his podcast.
It will surely be interesting to see how the drivers approach a superspeedway race in the round right before the finale. Meanwhile, the 2024 regular season is about to draw to a close with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway this weekend. It remains to be seen which driver clinches the regular season trophy at the venue as well.
