Has the current playoff system reached a tipping point? When the checkered flag was waved at Phoenix Raceway, fans quickly and quietly exited the grandstands instead of sitting around to watch Joey Logano celebrate his third Cup Series title. Ever since the elimination format was introduced in 2014, the system has been subjected to plenty of debates, with key stakeholders questioning the fairness of it all. However, there has been a lack of urgency from NASCAR to tweak the existing structure, despite the backlash on social media.

Proposing an alternate playoff format, legendary Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte emphasized the need for consistency and race wins, which will reward drivers for their triumphs instead of contenders being able to point their way through the season.

Letarte suggests a radical solution after Joey Logano’s triumph

The year was 2003 and Matt Kenseth had secured an unspectacular Winston Cup Series championship. Knowing that a change was needed to rectify the dwindling viewership, NASCAR CEO Brian France introduced the playoff format, with a 10-week-long Chase for the Cup system. Despite an initial spike in the metrics, the ratings and attendance began dropping sharply, and Jimmie Johnson’s five consecutive wins didn’t help matters either. With desperate times leading to desperate measures, France revised the playoffs to an elimination style in 2014, a format that exists today.

With Joey Logano’s win resulting in a social media backlash, former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Steve Letarte suggested an alternate playoff structure. Speaking on the Actions Detrimental podcast, the 45-year-old said, “If you win a race, you’re in the playoffs. I don’t care about points. I’m not even going to count them. I’ll count them for guys that didn’t make the playoffs. You win and you’re in. We may have six, we may have 16. I’m not even going to set a number. The playoffs are only winners.” Sharing his thoughts about the Team Penske driver’s season, the sportscaster went on to say, “You didn’t win, you’re 26 weeks in and you didn’t win. The sport is about winning.”

Considering that NASCAR has been reactive instead of proactive about its playoff structure in the past, could the sanctioning body make changes to its existing format after the social media backlash? While Joey Logano and his No. 22 Ford Mustang team perfectly played to their strengths in a car that struggled for pace, it’s not hard to see why fans struggled to digest his championship triumph, especially when more consistent drivers such as Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell didn’t make it to the Championship 4.

In comparison, Joey Logano hasn’t set the Cup Series alight with his performances during the 2024 season. He had a miraculous victory at Nashville Superspeedway, where a bold strategy call by crew chief Paul Wolfe resulted in the Team Penske driver stretching his fuel for five overtime restarts. He was then eliminated after the Round of 12, only to be reinstated because of Alex Bowman’s disqualification. A perfectly timed caution at Las Vegas Motor Speedway allowed him to gamble with fuel once again, with the victory giving him two weeks to prepare for the championship fixture at Phoenix Raceway. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson won six races in the season but didn’t make it to the final four. It hardly seems fair, right?

NASCAR to review existing playoff format

Trending

Michael Jordan’s Opponent’s Warning Comes True as Roger Penske Shuts Down NASCAR’s Infiltration

Joey Logano Leaks NASCAR’s Threat to Kick Teams Out of Daytona 500 After Chevy’s Defiance to $400,000 Fine

Chevy Prodigy Loses NASCAR Seat, Fans Allege Ignorance to Kyle Busch’s Daytona Setback Behind It

Brad Keselowski’s Trump Card Move Could Be a Career-Altering Transfer for Tony Stewart’s Underwhelming Driver

NASCAR Rumor: Despite Lawsuit Uncertainty, Tony Stewart’s Veteran Eyeing FRM Switch After Noah Gragson’s Lead

It was always going to be controversial. While the elimination format has been the perennial punching bag for NASCAR fans since it was introduced in 2014, criticism about the playoff system reached a different level of intensity after Joey Logano won the championship for the second time in three seasons. Statistically, the Team Penske driver has some of the lowest numbers for a title winner, having scored fewer points than Chris Buescher, who didn’t even make it to the postseason.

Acknowledging that the fans’ voices need to be heard, senior Vice President of Competition of NASCAR Elton Sawyer said, “We’re going to have Playoffs, we’re going to have a Playoff format, but what we will do, is we will take input from our fans, our competitors, and our industry stakeholders this off-season, and if there is a way to tweak it, make it better, we will do that.” The 65-year-old went on to say, “I think you take all that input … maybe what we have is the best model, but if it’s not, we’re open, we’re all ears on it.”

With the off-season currently underway, the sanctioning body will use this time to assess Joey Logano’s victory and potentially make tweaks to the existing playoff system for the 2025 season. However, if they choose to make wholesale changes to the existing structure, it will have to wait until the 2026 campaign as decisions such as these also affect tracks, broadcasters, and sponsors. Despite the criticism levied towards the win-and-in system, viewership has increased by 6% in comparison to last year with 2.33 million people tuning in on average. Will NASCAR be motivated enough to make changes, even if numbers suggest otherwise? Time will tell.