“Never Going to Happen” – Dale Earnhardt Jr Breaks Fans Heart as NASCAR Throws the Community a Bone After Phoenix

Two campaigns are going on against NASCAR’s practices at present. While Michael Jordan and Co. fight in the courtroom to dismantle a 76-year-old monopolistic tradition, fans lead a battle on social media to undo the playoff system. Since 2014, the Cup Series has held a 10-race elimination format, where a driver’s regular season performance turns to squat during the postseason. And NASCAR is showing a sliver of hope with a little update. Yet Dale Earnhardt Jr is skeptical.

After all, the statistics are mind-boggling. Kyle Larson, holding 6 wins and having led 1700 laps, could not survive a slew of pit stop mistakes and bizarre wrecks in the Round of 8. On the flip side, Joey Logano scripted history as a Cup champion with the lowest average finishing position at 17.1. So NASCAR is paying heed to fans – but Dale Jr pours water on that hope.

The past is just a dream for Dale Earnhardt Jr

Before 2004, the true merit of a race car driver prevailed above everything else. “I feel like that’s the purest way to know that this person did it all right,” Dale Earnhardt Jr agreed. Although several championships in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s won the trophy with races still left on the schedule, some were unforgettable. Rusty Wallace won in ’89 by 12 points over Dale Earnhardt Sr. Then Jeff Gordon won the ‘97 title by 14 over Dale Jarrett. But after 2004, these meritorious pursuits got mixed up with wildcard possibilities. Only 8 champions in the 21 seasons since would have still held their titles if the season-long points format was retained.

After Joey Logano made jaws drop with his Phoenix victory, fans clamored for a change. And NASCAR dropped a few crumbs of hope. Journalist Adam Stern updated this: “@NASCAR will review its playoff format this offseason and changes are possible as soon as next year, though a larger overhaul might need to wait until 2026 if one ended up being pursued, per people familiar.” Yet immediately after, Dale Earnhardt Jr cast a shadow over this sliver of hope. “I think there should be more than a one-race run to the title. We all can talk in circles about that. I want them to go back to the original system of no playoffs – never going to happen. It’s a waste of time.”

However, then Dale Earnhardt Jr began to shift toward a positive attitude about the present format. If 16th-seed Maryland-Baltimore County can crush top-seed Virginia in the 2018 NCAA men’s basketball tournament, then Joey Logano can crush Kyle Larson‘s dominance as well. Dale Earnhardt Jr compared NASCAR’s situation with the NFL. “Some people say we shouldn’t compare ourselves to other sports. But a wildcard team in the NFL with a 9 and 6 record – has the pathway to the Super Bowl and win it…Nobody’s complaining about the wildcard teams being in there.” 

Subsequently, the 15-time Most Popular Driver also harped on why NASCAR may not budge.

Sensationalism is the way to go

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In the 2003 Winston Cup Series season, Matt Kenseth stamped his title victory by 90 points after one early-season victory and 23 more top-10 finishes. That seemed to be the tipping point – earlier, several drivers had clinched championships way before the season ended. So in an attempt to rejuvenate the drooping mood of crowds, then NASCAR CEO Brian France introduced the playoffs. The elimination format came into being in 2014 with 16 drivers – and is blindly unapologetic and cruelly unrelenting. Although criticism reigned supreme since its debut, the format delivered. For instance, the 2024 playoffs rose by 6% in viewership from last year, with 2.33 million people tuning in per event on average.

And Dale Earnhardt Jr acknowledges the showbiz impact of this format. He still admits to his personal preference for a meritorious run. But Dale Jr hailed NASCAR for keeping the fans thrilled till the end of the season. “I’m a traditionalist – I think the best way to determine your champion is the season-long race…like we used to do years ago…But this current format gives us better moments, gives us more drama. People can argue…look at the attendance and viewership…This stuff right now, the way they have the elimination on – I can’t look away…There’s a reason why they changed it.” 

Evidently, Dale Earnhardt Jr is dipping his toe on both sides. Indeed, pros and cons exist for both formats – but more importantly, which path will NASCAR stick to?