The current playoff system in NASCAR turns the sport into an even bigger spectacle and keeps fans on the edge of their seats, but it doesn’t always play fair. Drivers like Corey Heim and Connor Zilisch, who have dominated all season, could very well become victims of this system.
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Kevin Harvick believes that it would be a shame for Heim or Zilisch to lose out on the Truck Series and Xfinity Championships, respectively. It all comes down to one race in Phoenix, despite what has happened year-long. For Harvick, that’s proof enough that NASCAR’s playoff format needs a hard look.
“When you look at Corey Heim’s stats compared to everybody else, if he doesn’t win this championship, it’s going to be a nuclear meltdown if they don’t change the points the correct way at the end of the year because it shouldn’t even be a question who the champion is in trucks,” Harvick said on his Happy Hour podcast.
“(It) shouldn’t be a question who the champion is in Xfinity,” the 49-year-old added. “So, if Connor Zilisch and Cory Heim don’t win these championships, it’s exactly why we don’t need the system we have… I think that my biggest thing is if we’re going to have a playoffs, you better make the points matter as much as possible or these people are going to eat you up…”
Whether the current system is good or bad has been a long-standing debate with several drivers speaking both for and against it. It reignited when Joey Logano won his third title last year, prompting fans to urge NASCAR to explore changes for 2025. Officials later confirmed that any revisions would take effect in 2026 and even formed a committee that includes driver Christopher Bell.
For now, the Cup field remains tightly packed in both wins and points, but in the lower divisions, two drivers have left everyone eating their dust. Zilisch has stormed to 10 wins in the Xfinity Series, more than triple what any other top-four driver has managed.
In the Truck Series, Heim has collected 11 victories, while the other top 4, Kaden Honeycutt and Ty Majeski, remain winless, and Tyler Ankrum owns just one. “If one of those two guys don’t win the championship, it’s an embarrassment. Cory Heim has a hundred more points than the next guy,” Harvick added.
Harvick went on to explain that NASCAR’s single-race finale was designed to spike year-end ratings, but that vision hasn’t panned out. As he put it, while the format has changed how drivers approach competition, it hasn’t moved the needle for viewership or fan enthusiasm.
The so-called “One race Game 7” championship, Harvick said, has done “absolutely zero” to make the sport more compelling.
