The NASCAR Cup Series championship format can take two routes from here. One, it can appease the core fanbase and go toward being a full-season points-based championship like it used to be in the old days. Or, it can work toward attracting a newer audience by continuing and evolving the current elimination-style format. The latter is not something Denny Hamlin or Mark Martin prefer.
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In a recent conversation with Jeff Gluck, veteran motorsports reporter Jordan Bianchi expressed strong thoughts about why drivers ought to be able to gain playoff spots for winning races in the regular season, regardless of any upcoming format change. This opinion drew the ire of Hamlin, a response subsequently backed by Martin. Here’s a brief breakdown of what each party said.
Bianchi stated, “Whatever playoff format you go to, I do not want to lose the ‘win and you’re in’ aspect of the sport. I want to see drivers during the regular season rewarded for winning races with a playoff berth. I think it’s good. I think it heightens the stakes, I think it makes things more exciting. It adds another story.”
Is NASCAR better when one race can save your season? @jeff_gluck | @Jordan_Bianchi pic.twitter.com/uO9VxfOXaL
— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) August 5, 2025
He made his case using RFK Racing’s drivers. Brad Keselowski and Ryan Preece both finished inside the top five in last Sunday’s race at the Iowa Speedway. It was their second consecutive weekend securing top-five positions and a huge milestone in their team’s journey towards resurgence as a NASCAR powerhouse. More importantly, their uptick in performance proves that they could win any one of the upcoming three races.
Should they do so, they would secure themselves playoff spots despite their slow start to the season. This is what interests Bianchi a lot. The sheer drama that is being created right now cannot be matched otherwise. But what Hamlin and Martin see in this is a blatant disregard for the long-term fan. Gluck went on X with the question, “Is @Jordan_Bianchi right? Does he have a point?”
Spitting truth here @dennyhamlin https://t.co/LPQ8nBal61
— Mark Martin (@markmartin) August 5, 2025
Hamlin responded, “No, he does not. He’s picking entertainment from the casuals’ perspective over the sport’s integrity and our core fan base. Numbers don’t lie.” Martin concurred, “Spitting truth here @dennyhamlin.” With the sport divided on this front for months now, it remains to be seen what NASCAR will decide.
If history is to be taken as a sign of the future, the sanctioning body will more than likely end up wanting to gather a new audience. Either way, it is a certainty that there are going to be some disappointed faces.
