NASCAR announced on Jan. 27 that the playoff format will not change for the 2025 season despite outcry from racing fans. This decision was because the sanctioning body didn't want to simply make "little tweaks."
Videos by FanBuzz
As NASCAR senior vice president of racing development John Probst explained, there is more work to be done before making any changes. This process will include creating a group to examine the format. This will include drivers, manufacturers, team owners, and the expanded group of TV partners.
"We just didn't get to a point where you felt like, 'We have to do it,'" Probst said, per The Athletic. "But we hear the fans loud and clear and are looking at it actively."
The playoffs will not change this season, but 2026 remains a possibility.
Changing the playoffs was something NASCAR discussed before Joey Logano won his third title. Steve O'Donnell, NASCAR's chief operating officer, shut down the notion that the playoffs would go away but said that the sanctioning body would look at the form the playoffs could take over the offseason.
The discussion occurred partially due to fans' outcry after drivers like Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell missed the Championship 4.
Logano winning the title only added to the conversation. Many pointed to the fact that he made the playoffs after surviving a five-overtime finish at Nashville Superspeedway and only reached the Round of 8 due to the disqualification of another driver.
Probst indicated that NASCAR heard the complaints from the fans and sorted them into three buckets.
"You were either 'I love the playoffs. I love what they're doing. They're creating storylines,'" Probst said. "There was 'I hate the playoffs. I don't want them. Make them go away. I want to go back to the way it always was.'
"And then there was like this middle bucket that was like, 'I like the playoffs. I think they should change, but I don't really know exactly what I want to change or what I'm trying to fix."
NASCAR has named its champion in multiple ways. Before 2004, the driver who accumulated the most points throughout the season won the title. The 10-race playoffs known as The Chase began in 2004 as the top drivers in the Cup Series competed for the title.
The Chase underwent some changes over the seasons. The number of drivers who made The Chase fluctuated, as did the method of securing their spots. Some seasons featured 10 drivers, as well as anyone within 400 points of the leader. Other seasons featured 10 drivers and two wild cards.
The modern format of the playoffs began in 2014. This is the season NASCAR split the 10 races into four rounds and introduced eliminations. This format has delivered what the sanctioning body calls "Game 7 moments." Tyler Reddick going from third to first in the final turn at Homestead last season is a prominent example.
This format has also led to the winningest drivers falling short of the title. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Larson are two recent examples of drivers who led the series in wins but failed to reach the Championship 4.
