2024 was definitely a mixed bag for NASCAR fans. It wasn’t the worst season ever, but it sure wasn’t the best either. For many, it felt like a letdown, especially with how it ended. Joey Logano, who had an underwhelming season, ended up as the champion. His 17.1 average finish made him the least impressive champion in NASCAR history, which rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way. It raised serious questions about the playoff format, with many feeling like the championship lost its value.

But let’s not ignore the good stuff. We saw some of the closest finishes in NASCAR history (in fact, three of them), which was exciting! Even NASCAR probably felt like fans were forgetting about the highlights. So, ahead of the 2025 season, which kicks off on February 2nd with “The Clash,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps decided to send out a letter to the fans, hyping up the 2024 season as a huge success and promising 2025 to be an even bigger one. But… yeah, fans weren’t buying it.

Steve Phelps’s letter is a hard sell

If 2024 left fans scratching their heads, one of the main reasons was the Martinsville race incident. You probably remember how the playoff spot battle turned into a mess between Toyota and Chevy. Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon were blocking for William Byron, and Bubba Wallace let Christopher Bell pass, which led to NASCAR suspending the crew chiefs and spotters of all three teams. The penalties were hefty, $1oo,000 fines for the drivers and teams. But fans were pretty upset that the drivers didn’t get more of a punishment, and the manufacturers (OEMs) got off scot-free.

Well, NASCAR tried to make it right by adding new penalties for OEMs in 2025, but that still didn’t sit well with a lot of fans, who felt like that incident tainted an otherwise decent season. So, Phelps’s letter, which included some stats like, “After a record-setting year in 2024, where we saw 3 of the top 7 closest finishes in our history, 18 different winners from 10 different race teams, and more passing than we’ve ever had, the excitement is off the charts.” didn’t exactly make fans feel better.

But no one can deny that the close finishes we had were epic. The closest one was between Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe at Kansas. Larson took the win with just 0.001 seconds. So we can’t deny there were some thrilling races! If you see the Kansas race, Larson wasn’t expected to be the final two fighting for the win. It was supposed to be Hamlin vs Buescher. But displaying his prowess, Larson climbed up and it made for a thrilling race. The same was the case in Atlanta; Kyle Busch fought Ryan Blaney, and suddenly, Daniel Suarez made it three wide, winning by 0.003 seconds over Blaney.

And Phelps further in the letter wrote, “And with our most aggressive schedule yet, we are taking you the best fans in sports-on a trip across the most challenging tracks in the U.S., and for the first time in Cup Series history, we’ll visit Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez race track on Father’s Day weekend.” This is NASCAR’s attempt to go global, which is great for the sport. Even with streaming partners like Amazon Prime coming in, the reach will grow.

It’s a bold move for NASCAR, but this international push comes at a time when there’s major drama within the sport. Teams like 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports are clashing with NASCAR over the Charter system, accusing the organization of monopolistic practices. And that tension? It’s only going to get worse in the next couple of years. But Phelps is staying optimistic:

“This season promises to be one of the most exhilarating ever, with a lineup of races that will keep you on the edge of your whether in the grandstands, at home with friends, or on your mobile device. With new tracks and exciting changes that will push the limits of competition in our great sport, we’re blending tradition and innovation to deliver something special for every fan.”

But judging by the fan reaction, they’re not exactly jumping out of their seats.

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Fans lash out at Steve Phelps

Instead of getting fans excited for the 2025 season, Phelps’s letter has just left them frustrated. One fan flat-out called him a liar: “”More passing than we’ve ever had,” I guess we’re lying now.“And hey, when you look at the passing stats, it’s clear things were a bit up and down. For example, the spring Bristol race saw a record 54 lead changes, thanks to tire fall-off. But then in the Bristol playoff race? Kyle Larson led 462 of 500 laps–not exactly a race full of passing. There were eight races with 30+ lead changes, which ties the most since 1982, so there was some excitement–but the overall racing was hit-or-miss.

Still, fans are feeling ignored. One person even tweeted, “Steve, will you actually listen to the fans for once?” Well, the majority of fans demanded a change in the playoff format but NASCAR did not pay heed to it, and we are continuing with the same one. Echoing the need for playoff changes, one fan wrote, “All we wanted was a final race rotation 🤷🏼‍♂️ they’ll never figure it out I guess..” Many fans think Phoenix has run its course and it should be a rotational final race changing every year. Even Kevin Harvick suggested this. His list had, “Phoenix, Homestead-Miami, and Las Vegas.”

Also, fans think there is no discussion on the Next-Gen car and how it’s also a culprit in poor racing. One fan wrote, “@stevephelps it would be even better if you gave those guys a good car to race. I’m not sure why this issue doesn’t have a more sense of urgency.” The complaint probably is too much parity amongst the cars. Drivers and fans have again and again asked for a higher horsepower package. And Denny Hamlin had suggested putting “a larger spoiler.” But no major changes or packages have been announced.

Another thing that NASCAR is struggling with is having stars, and that’s probably why NASCAR doesn’t feel the same anymore. A fan wrote, “Who are the stars? Who is the Gordon, the Sr, the Jr, the Stewart? No stars just a bunch of cookie cutter drivers.” Remember the NASCAR boom in the 80s and 90s? It was thanks to Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Jeff Gordon being household names. Even people who did not watch NASCAR knew them. But in today’s era, we don’t have that. The last one close to that was probably Dale Jr.

The biggest problem with Phelps’s letter? It feels like a corporate cover-up. Instead of addressing the real issues, he just throws out buzzwords like “tradition” and “innovation,” while glossing over the season’s real shortcomings. One fan summed it up perfectly: “More passing than ever… tone deaf. Blind. Corporate speak. Everything negative and condescending needs to be used for NASCAR leadership.”

So, what do you think? Did Phelps’s letter make you feel more excited for 2025, or do you agree with the fans that NASCAR is missing the mark? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!