NASCAR is in the works of evaluating its playoff format for the future of the Cup Series. The sport recently held its first "playoff committee" meeting at Daytona a few weeks ago to discuss the current playoff format and what could be adjusted in the future.
Eric Estepp, a popular NASCAR influencer with over 240,000 YouTube subscribers, voiced his feelings on the sport's evaluation of the playoff system for future seasons. Estepp noted that Ben Kennedy, the Executive Vice President and Chief Venue & Racing Innovations Officer for NASCAR, is one of a few on the committee who will determine the future of the sport's playoffs. The influencer went on to say Cup Series drivers Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Christopher Bell appear to be on the committee as well.
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Estepp said the committee has no "agenda" and is focused on crowning a deserving champion while also keeping fans engaged throughout the entire season. For him, the largest issue Estepp has with the current playoff format is how the championship is decided in just one race. He said:
"I know there have been many races building up to that moment, but one race is not a large enough sample size for fans to feel confident that the most deserving team is always getting crowned." (5:08 onwards)
Estepp suggested his playoff format where the playoffs remain 10 races. Instead of a one-race finale, he suggested a one-race "wildcard opener" where the top eight in the playoffs are locked in through the first race, while places 9-16 battle for spots 9-12 for the Round of 12. Then, the Round of 12, Round of 8 and Championship 4 would each be three-race rounds to determine a champion. Estepp added:
"That's my proposal in a nutshell. It keeps the elimination rounds that TV loves and fans have become somewhat used to over the last 11 years, but it forces the Championship 4 to bring their A-game for three races instead of just one." (5:53 onwards)
Joey Logano claimed 2024 championship with worst average finish by a champion in history
One of the key reasons why NASCAR wants to tweak the playoff format is the idea that they aren't getting the most deserving champions at the season's end. Some could argue this was the case with Joey Logano last season, who claimed his third Cup Series championship.
Despite having four wins and utilizing the playoff format to perfection, Logano posted a 17.1 average finish. It was the lowest average finish by a champion in history. Meanwhile, Kyle Larson, who won a season-high six races, failed to make the Championship 4.
The 16-driver format has been in effect since 2014. It's gone through minor tweaks, such as playoff points, but the champion is still decided by the highest finisher of the four title contenders in the final race of the season.
