Several NASCAR Cup drivers, including Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, and Chase Elliott, have openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the new playoff format, criticizing it for undervaluing consistency in favor of a single win.
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According to them, a driver could finish most of the season’s races below 30th place but vault into the playoffs with just one late-season win, while those who perform consistently well might miss out.
Hamlin, on his latest podcast, even pointed the finger at this current format for the turmoil witnessed at Martinsville. He commented, “I hate to say this, it’s the format, because you’ve only got a three-race season… It’s this — stuff has been going on for quite some time. But I think it’s been magnified by this point system that is trying to manufacture these moments.”
Kevin Harvick, however, recently shared that he finds the current format thrilling, particularly because it delivers surprises, such as Kyle Larson, with six season wins, missing out on the final four. According to Harvick, the fact that Phoenix will not feature the top four cars in the championship underscores the unpredictability of the format, which, in his view, adds to the excitement.
But noting that Tyler Reddick — the 2024 regular season playoff champion is in the final four, Harvick suggested a tweak to the format that could elevate the competition, in his latest “Happy Hour” podcast episode, proposing:
“What if we took the regular season champ And… you got an automatic bid into the final four. We reward the regular season points champion with a spot. He’s in the championship for it… Second place — you’re going to go to the championship eight, around eight, and your third place guy. He’s going to go to the championship 12th. Fourth, you’re gonna be in the 16.”
Hamlin also weighed in on the idea, responding to the video with a comment: “Not terrible,” giving some approval of Harvick’s proposal.
"This format is exciting. We do not have the best four cars in the Championship 4." @KevinHarvick has a suggestion for the #NASCARPlayoffs. pic.twitter.com/lcTBAsiztG
— HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) November 5, 2024
NASCAR fans aren’t exactly rallying behind Harvick’s new playoff format proposal
While Harvick’s idea might seem sound and feasible at first glance, fans have identified several flaws. They thoroughly dissected scenarios where Harvick’s suggestion would fall short. For example, in most sports, regular season champions and leaders must also navigate through standard elimination rounds.
But if Harvick‘s suggestion is taken into consideration — granting an automatic spot in the final four would make the last nine races redundant for them and could be seen as unfair to other playoff contenders.
One fan critiqued the proposal, noting, “I think my only problem with this is that it would make 9 of the last 10 races completely irrelevant for the reg champ. They could literally S&P those races with no penalty to their season. We’d likely need to incorporate playoff points into the final race to compensate.”
Another fan pinpointed a big loophole, arguing, “So the regular season champion gets to skip 9 races until the final 4? No. There has to be a body of work in those 9 races that still allow the regular season champion to be there. You can’t let him skip ¼ of the season.”
Sharing similar sentiments one fan said, “I’d make the regular season champ an automatic bye to round of 8. If you give them an auto bye to the final 4 then why do they even race the 9 playoff races before that?”
One fan didn’t mince words, declaring, “This is one of the worst ideas I’ve heard yet. Not to mention, it makes the playoffs even more confusing.”
While it seems the current playoff format isn’t likely to be replaced any time soon, there is certainly room for improvement to better acknowledge the consistency of the drivers as well as the winners.
