NASCAR fans, insiders, and drivers alike have been locking horns over the sport’s current playoff system. While those who have reaped its rewards, including Team Penske’s Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, have thrown their weight behind it, others who’ve seen hard-earned consistency slip through their fingers, like Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin, still champion the traditional 36-race format.
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Even veterans like Mark Martin and Kenny Wallace are holding opposing viewpoints. As a veteran who once thrived under that system, Martin has been pulling out all the stops to bring it back, not just because he believes it’s the fairest way to crown a Cup Champion, but also because it’s what the fans are clamoring for.
Recently, the 66-year-old doubled down on his stance, stirring the pot once again with a short but sharp post on social media. “Real racers don’t do playoffs,” he wrote, lighting up another storm of debate.
However, another seasoned NASCAR figure, Wallace, didn’t see eye to eye with him and spoke his mind with a completely different tune. In Wallace’s view, the playoffs are the lifeblood of modern NASCAR.
Without them, fans would’ve missed moments like Ross Chastain’s audacious “Hail Melon” move, or his wild run-in with Hamlin while fighting for survival on the cut line, a few years ago.
This season, too, it served up excitement. At Charlotte Roval, Chastain threw caution to the wind, driving his car in reverse toward the start/finish line in a desperate bid to advance. Knowing he was neck-and-neck with Logano on points, he got behind Hamlin and sent the JGR driver spinning.
Reflecting on such moments, Wallace emphasized, “Without the playoffs, we don’t have these Hail Melon moments like we did at Martinsville riding the wall. And now he backed his car across the start finish line… A lot of fans right now, they just don’t know how to give it up.”
“These are playoff moments, and they’re exciting. And we’re gonna end like this. Joey Logano raced his way into the playoffs. The last time something like this happened was kind of like the exact same situation,” he added.
Meanwhile, after another narrow escape into the Round of 8, Logano clapped back at calls to scrap the system. Speaking with Dustin Long, he made it clear that the playoffs bring drama, storylines, and edge-of-the-seat action.
He noted that he can’t wrap his head around why fans take issue with it, especially when a single point can be the difference between advancing and heading home, keeping the thrill of the chase alive until the very end.
