NASCAR has one main problem: the playoff format, which emphasizes winning a single race over consistently racing well through the whole season.

The current format started in 2017. NASCAR should scrap it and return to the previous format, which was known as the “Chase” playoffs.

The current playoff format emphasizes winning over all else. In the regular season, if a driver wins a race, they are automatically in the playoffs, no matter how well they race the rest of the season.

If a driver has a good year without a win, but there are too many spots taken up by winners in the 16-car playoff field, that driver might not make the playoffs. 

Then, during the playoffs, wins are given excessive weight again.

NASCAR’s playoffs are unique from any other sport in that drivers keep racing regardless of whether they make the playoffs. When the playoff-qualifying 16 drivers are eliminated, they continue racing—just not for a championship. 

If a playoff driver wins a race in a round and they are still competing for the championship, they get an automatic advancement to the next playoff round.

In the first round, the Round of 16, points are reset to 2,000 with each driver’s playoff points added to their total. After the three races in the round, the playoff drivers with the four lowest point totals are eliminated – unless they have won one of the three races.

This continues for Rounds 12 and 8. Then the four playoff drivers who remain go to the championship race. 

This system has many flaws, with the most glaring one showing itself in the 2024 playoffs. The championship was won by Joey Logano, who earned his third championship in his career. 

Let’s take a look at his season:

• He wouldn’t have even made the playoffs without getting a win at Nashville, where the race went into five overtimes and Logano stretched his fuel to win.
• He was eliminated from the playoffs in the Round of 12. But after the car of a competitor, Alex Bowman, was deemed illegal by the sanctioning body, Logano moved on.
• After a perfectly timed caution at Las Vegas, Logano yet again stretched fuel to win his way into the championship. 
• He won the championship with an average finishing position of 17.11, the lowest in history.

All of this shows that the playoffs don’t reward the best overall drivers. This format isn’t about yearlong consistency, but showing up at the right times.

Motorsports like F1, however, use the yearlong format. This format crowns an actual champion – the driver who gains the most points over the course of the season receives the championship. 

NASCAR’s playoff format needs to change. It emphasizes winning merely one race over things like yearlong consistency. To keep its TV ratings afloat, something needs to be done about the NASCAR playoffs.