Since the announcement of the reintroduced Chase format, names such as Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Denny Hamlin have been credited with pushing NASCAR to rethink its playoff structure. However, yet another voice from the garage had been ringing the same bell long before the debate reached the front page. Brad Keselowski recently revealed how he was the one to ring the alarm first.
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During an appearance on Earnhardt Jr.’s The Dale Jr. Download podcast, the RFK Racing co-owner admitted he had long believed the elimination setup was cutting the sport off at the knees. Under the old structure, a win early in the season could save a ticket to the postseason, no matter how the rest of the schedule went after that.
Keselowski said he felt the system drained the meaning from many race weekends. With the latest format change, he now checks the standings far more often and treats each point like gold dust. The former champion said he had voiced those concerns behind closed doors years ago. In a meeting around the 2018–2019 season with Steve O’Donnell. He told officials that the playoff structure was hurting the sport, reasoning,
“I had won two or three races earlier in the year, and I’m in the middle of the season, I go to the racetrack, and I’m asking myself, what am I doing here? I have a practice session where I’m like 10th or 15th. And I’m not really a threat to win the race. I sit in meetings, and they’re like, ‘All right, Brad, you don’t get the good engine or the good car this week because someone else in the company isn’t locked in the playoffs. So they get all the good stuff for this week.”
“And you’re like, ‘Oh, okay, I guess that kind of makes sense.’ And you’d be showing up at like Pocono or whatever. So, I got like the engine with less power. I got the body with less downforce. I’m 15th in practice. I’m already locked in the playoffs. It felt like Weekend at Bernie’s. Like, what the hell am I doing here? And you couldn’t even really be mad at the team. Put yourself in their shoes,” added Keselowski.
The new points format? Good with Brad K.
The old points format? He was pleading with NASCAR to change it.
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As a driver who was always taught to chase the win each Sunday, the situation left Keselowski caught between instinct and system. Teams often spread resources across their lineup, aiming to place as many cars as possible in the playoff field. From a strategy angle, the move made sense.
However, this year, the governing body has attempted to address the issue Keselowski pointed out in his remarks and give greater weight to the driver’s points standings after each race. With every weekend allowing drivers and teams to capture valuable points, there can be no ‘off weekends’ as the No. 6 Ford driver suggested there were during the elimination format. The shift in structure has brought back a sense that every lap and every point counts.
The 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion currently sits 16th in the standings with 100 points. Even after suffering a femur injury during a skiing trip in the off-season, Keselowski has not missed a race. Through four starts, he has posted an average finish of 14.25, heading into Las Vegas this weekend for the fifth race of the year.
