“I agree with the philosophy”: Influencer shares his honest opinion amid NASCAR's verdict on 2025 playoff format 

NASCAR Influencer Eric Estepp has given his thoughts on the possible changes to the playoff format of the sport moving forward, agreeing that small changes won't be effective, and to make any switch to the way that the season plays out would have to be on a larger scale. Estepp took to his social media earlier today to respond to news shared by journalist Bob Pockrass that revealed the creation of a group this year that will re-examine the entirety of the playoff format for 2026.

Pockrass, who explained that the move is being taken as opposed to small changes being made in 2025, received support from the NASCAR YouTuber who voiced his approval of the decision.

"I actually agree with this philosophy. Making many small tweaks every couple years damages the format's legitimacy more than anything else [in my opinion]. Still hope they make several key changes for 2026," Estepp wrote on X.

After the 2024 Cup Series season ended, Estepp gave his own thoughts on what some of the 'key changes' he mentions in his tweet could be. In a YouTube video he shared on his channel, the influencer proposed his own changes to the playoff format which includes having the championship round of three races as compared to a single race.

The current playoff format, which involves 4 out of 16 drivers who are eliminated after every four rounds until only the Championship four remain, has been a part of the Cup Series since 2014, with it being adopted by the Xfinity Series and Truck Series in 2016. In 2017, stage racing and playoff points were added to the format.

NASCAR's 2025 season, staying with the existing playoff format will begin with the Cook Out Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium this weekend, on February 2nd.

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NASCAR Chief Racing Development Officer gives details about the group examining 2026 playoffs

NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer, John Probst, gave more details in a competition briefing earlier this week about the group that the organization is forming that will "holistically" look at the current playoff format for the 2026 season.

The group, comprising the sport's stakeholders, has been in conversation with the stock car racing association individually, but will now come together to look at the possible changes for the next season. He said (via NASCAR):

“I don’t think we want to get in the habit of making small little tweaks every season to the playoffs. Where we landed was for 2025 not making any changes to the playoffs. Throughout the course of this year, we will get a working group together with some media folks, OEMs, Goodyear, drivers. … We probably talked to most of the folks one-on-one about, where are we at? What are we thinking?

"Basically, we look at that as a workstream for a group of our stakeholders this year, to look at it holistically."

While Probst has not confirmed that there will be definite changes to the format, he has acknowledged fan reactions. He added:

"[T]here’s the fan feedback — which we hear loud and clear — on this particular driver should have been here, or that particular driver won this many races, so he should have been automatically in and all of that.

“We just didn’t get to a point where we felt like we have to do it. But we hear the fans loud and clear and are looking at it actively.”

The 2024 Cup Series season ended with Joey Logano, who scored 5040 points, achieving his third championship title.