Presently of the NASCAR season, the main target is on the playoffs and the eight drivers remaining within the hunt for a championship. The drama of the playoff format was on full show in Sunday’s Spherical of 8 race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, NASCAR managing director of racing communications Mike Forde mentioned Monday.
You had a Denny Hamlin victory, No. 60 of his Cup Sequence profession. Past Hamlin, you noticed William Byron in disbelief after he crashed into Ty Dillon whereas working second late in Stage 3. Storylines have been plentiful at Las Vegas, Forde mentioned.
“I believe you have a look at the storylines of the playoffs,” Forde mentioned on the Door Bumper Clear podcast. “While you’re speaking about codecs, I believe it’s important to admit this playoff format has elevated storylines, elevated drama, elevated strain, and like Byron was virtually in tears and you’ve got Denny doing Denny issues. … He at all times appears to step up when the chips are stacked towards him.
“Denny profitable his sixtieth the best way he did, nice end, the restarts have been superior. I believe it was an excellent race. It wasn’t Kansas good, however I assumed it was superb.”
NASCAR playoff format going away in 2026?
Speak of the playoff format and whether or not that may look totally different subsequent 12 months has dominated dialogue off the racetrack. NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell mentioned in an interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr. that the sanctioning physique is not going to announce any potential adjustments to the playoff format earlier than the top of the 2025 season.
“We obtained guidelines in place for this 12 months,” O’Donnell mentioned. “What I don’t need to do is take away from whoever wins the championship this 12 months. These have been the principles. All people knew them. Let’s go race, and whoever wins that championship, I’m going to face behind that driver and staff and say that’s our champion.”
Joey Logano, a three-time champion beneath the present format, is a fan of NASCAR having a postseason. He talked up the playoffs in his post-race interview after the Spherical of 12 finale on the Charlotte ROVAL. The phrase Logano saved going to? Drama.
“The playoffs create drama,” Logano mentioned. “It creates storylines. It creates superior moments like that. I don’t perceive what folks don’t like about it. I actually don’t get it. And when you’re a type of individuals who say the common season doesn’t matter, playoff factors don’t matter — one level would have been the distinction there. I preach that on a regular basis. I’m not simply saying that as a result of it really works for us. I’m saying it as a result of it’s true. Everybody likes to have a look at it in different methods, however like I mentioned, one level was the totally different there.
“If you happen to don’t have cutoff races and issues like that, what are you even speaking about immediately? How Shane [van Gisbergen] waxed everybody’s butt? That’s what you need? I’m simply saying, this playoff format is depraved.”
