NASCAR President Steve Phelps confirmed last month during his State of the Sport address that he will be looking for areas to make changes to the existing playoff format. The submission came after multiple cries for change following Joey Logano’s success in the 2024 Cup Series season. In a recent interview, the president provided an update on where things stand on that front.
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The first thing that he clarified was that a potential change wouldn’t be something that he or his team took autocratically. He will be putting a council of drivers, team members, and NASCAR executives together to discuss and implement the changes that they see as valid.
Second, he has become aware of how extreme the calls for change are particularly after the awards banquet that was held last weekend.
He told The Athletic, “I heard that all last weekend. “Please don’t change the format, the playoff system works really well.” And others were like, “Please change the playoff format.” A lot of it is just personal preference, and I think it’s easy to put your own lens on it. What would be good for my driver? Or what is best for my team? Self-interest is a very powerful thing.”
The criticisms for and against the Cup Series playoff format
Whether changes are made or not depends on the diverse inputs of the council. The dilemma that different teams have put on the president is quite apparent. Drivers like Denny Hamlin have been strong supporters of the idea that there needs to be more than a single race that decides who the champion is. Others like Logano himself have not been very welcoming of taking a new route.
They believe that having multiple races decide the champion would take the sport down the path of an already tried and tested format. The current way of things helps create multiple storylines for fans to follow and doesn’t reveal who gets to lift the trophy till the final lap of the season finale. This thrill makes for an interesting watch from the eyes of the casual fan.
But then again, the purpose of the sport is to find and reward the best driver of the season. In 2024, the drivers who comprised the Championship 4 were far from the best.
Neither Kyle Larson nor Christopher Bell, two drivers with the best averages and most wins, were a part of the finale. In their places were Logano and Ryan Blaney — with their underwhelming regular season performances.
There is no scope for consistency to carry weight in the current format either. The case of Bell, with his 7.33 postseason average, proves this beyond doubt. There is more than enough justification for the format to be criticized. The ball is now in the court of NASCAR. Further updates can be expected in the coming weeks.
