Will NASCAR be able to deliver a format that aligns with the vision of the race fans? The elimination-style and win-and-you’re-in system has garnered criticism since its inception. But the 2024 season has seen an uptick among fans demanding changes to the current system. Some are even arguing about bringing back the points system that rewards the best drivers based on their performance throughout the season.
Initially, Kevin Harvick was also sold on the idea of burying the win-and-you’re-in system. “I’m a traditional racer that wants the best 16 guys to race for the championship.” But, after switching lenses from being a driver to a broadcaster, it has resulted in him taking a U-turn on this stance. Rather, he went on to highlight to fans that the sport can’t adopt a system from which they moved on in the first place.
Kevin Harvick isn’t sold on the idea of deciding the champion based on points
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Before the elimination-style format, NASCAR had a simple format: the driver with the highest number of points at the end of the season gets crowned as the champ. But, over the years, as the sport progressed, they adopted the chase in 2004, which marked the era of change. Ultimately, by trial and error, NASCAR settled for the exciting format that rewarded the race winners. This was further bolstered by the knockout rounds and ultimately leading the finale event, where four drivers would race for the Bill France Cup.
But this year’s championship 4 race arguably didn’t have the best racers competing for the biggest prize in NASCAR. This in turn opened the discussion surrounding the current format and how the title winner should be decided. Just like the passionate NASCAR fans, Kevin Harvick also chimed in with his opinion, “You’ve got the old-school fans who want to go back to 1955 and race for Winston Cup points. You can never go all the way back; don’t unlearn what you know, and we know that this format is exciting.” He said this on the Happy Hour podcast.
He even highlighted that it was the fans who wanted more excitement and thrill within the format. This has left him bemused to see those very fans now asking NASCAR to adopt the points system. “It’s interesting to see what that balance is between points, excitement, entertainment, and all the things that go with it, and when we went with this, the fans were obviously up in arms. Oh, we’ve got to have some format that’s not so boring, and now they all wanna go back. It’s like going to a mile and a half to a short track. So it’s funny how the world cycles around all that,” he added.
via Getty DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 10: Kevin Harvick, driver of the #4 Busch Beer Car2Can Ford, looks on during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Would we be talking about the playoffs or the format change had Kyle Larson made the cut for the final? Probably not. But by no means is the current system perfect, and this conversation just might see NASCAR tweak the format for good. Apart from Kevin Harvick, the HMS icon Steve Letarte also joined the discussion and laid down a format that he feels would strike the right balance.
Steve Letarte wants race wins to be prioritized over points
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“You can talk about the format and if we do some different things. But absolutely we’re going to stick with it.” This was NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell on potential changes to the playoffs. Well, going by his words, the playoffs are here to stay, but they are open to tweaks to the current system. As things are, the format is designed to push the drivers to the very edge. And that has led to dramatic events and thrilling finishes.
Tyler Reddick sending in the slingshot move on Ryan Blaney and Homestead, and Blaney fighting his way back at Martinsville were examples of that. This wouldn’t have been possible if we had a points system in place. This is exactly what Steve Letarte was trying to state while pitching his version of the playoffs. “So far, 26 weeks you have to win the race. I could argue the format, either all of those guys for 10 weeks or all of those guys in some sort of elimination with the last being three races.” He said this on the Actions Detrimental podcast.
Now, this was an interesting suggestion. While he wanted the drivers to win in the regular season, he was open for them to go battle it out in 10-race playoffs. Moreover, he also suggested moving away from a single-race final to a three-race round. This would weed out the luck factor and allow the drivers to come back even with an off-week.
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What would you change about the current playoff format or the regular season? And is Steve Letarte’s vision something that NASCAR should look into? Do share your thoughts in the comments.