Joey Logano’s win was hard to digest. When the Team Penske driver took the checkered flag at Phoenix Raceway last year, many fans quickly and quietly exited the grandstands, not waiting around to see the new Cup Series champ lift his third Bill France Cup in seven years. The disillusionment wasn’t towards the No. 22 racer, but the playoff format itself, with many motorsports enthusiasts taking to social media to describe it as ‘broken’.
It’s a format Denny Hamlin isn’t particularly fond of either, which should come as no surprise given his lack of success at NASCAR’s highest level. However, Kyle Busch doesn’t mind the ‘Win and In’ playoff system, even though he thinks changes can be made to decide the champion.
Kyle Busch would like NASCAR to bring back its old format
“You’re going the wrong direction,” said Denny Hamlin, sharing his thoughts on the prospect of NASCAR potentially expanding the championship race in Phoenix to five drivers. It’s no secret that the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran isn’t the biggest fan of the current postseason format, echoing Brad Keselowski’s thoughts that the system undervalues drivers who have performed well during the regular season but faltered in the playoffs. An example of this is Kyle Larson, who didn’t make it to the Championship 4 last year despite winning six races in 2024, more than any other driver.
Kyle Busch, who has two Cup Series trophies to his name, doesn’t feel strongly against the current system. However, ‘Rowdy’ would like to see NASCAR revert to the old format once again and said on the Actions Detrimental podcast, “It coming down to a one-race take-all moment. I don’t know. I don’t mind it. I don’t know how to make it better. I do still sort of enjoy the, I guess I’m just maybe sort of a purist of NASCAR, and having the points go all the way throughout. So I still kind of enjoy that and think, ‘It’ll be cool to see that again.’”
Is it a feeling of nostalgia, or did Kyle Busch genuinely enjoy the pre-2004 era? In 2003, Matt Kenseth showed great consistency to win the season-long championship, a format that NASCAR CEO Brian France felt didn’t inject as much ‘drama’ into the sport as he would have liked. While some would argue it was fair and rewarded consistency throughout the year, others, like France, felt that the sport lacked excitement in those days.
LAS VEGAS, NV – OCTOBER 19: Kyle Busch 8 Richard Childress Racing FICO Chevrolet answers questions from members of the media during a media bullpen before practice and qualifying for the South Point 400 NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Cup Series playoff race on October 19, 2024, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV. Photo by Marc Sanchez/LVMS/Icon Sportswire AUTO: OCT 19 NASCAR Cup Series South Point 400 EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon144241019026
Denny Hamlin made his Cup Series debut right around the time the ‘Chase for the Cup’ format was introduced. It was a system that the No. 11 racer and Kyle Busch weren’t particularly fond of, with ‘Rowdy’ even saying, “I always kind of hated the 10 race thing. Because how many times did you or I have a bad race or two in the 10 race format, and then you’re fifth in points?” As for the Florida native, the playoffs have brought nothing but disappointment for two decades, but with two wins already this year, it’s a streak that could very well break.
Hamlin wants NASCAR to make the playoffs harder
Denny Hamlin is always up for a challenge. Even though the Bill France Cup has eluded him for two decades, the veteran isn’t keen on the playoff format becoming ‘easier’. There’s been some chatter in the background about potentially increasing the championship race to five drivers, a prospect that the 44-year-old isn’t happy about, even though it would give him a bigger chance of competing for NASCAR’s biggest trophy in the winner-takes-all race.
“I heard a dirty rumor and someone from NASCAR said it that maybe we should expand the championship race to five drivers,” said Hamlin on the Actions Detrimental podcast earlier this year. “Please don’t do that. You’re just watering this down more. Stop making it easier; make it harder. Make it harder, you got to build the prestige of people.” He went on to say, “Don’t keep opening it up to more places, more spots, more opportunity. No, you gotta make it special. Let’s not even support that narrative.”
With the likes of Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell missing out on the Championship 4 race in Phoenix last year, it’s not surprising that some within the NASCAR community are in favor of the winner-takes-all event expanding to five drivers. However, even though the sanctioning body continues its tug-of-war between maintaining tradition and evolving the sport, Hamlin feels that it’s a “terrible idea”. Perhaps a complete overhaul of the postseason format in the years ahead might be the way to go? Time will tell.
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