Denny Hamlin Says NASCAR “On the Right Track” With New Playoff Format

What’s Happening?

Following the latest NASCAR Playoff Committee meeting, NASCAR Cup Series driver and owner Denny Hamlin thinks that the sport is heading in the right direction with its potential new playoff format.

Throughout the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, a committee of industry members has met to discuss the current NASCAR Cup Series playoff format and what potential changes the sport could make to that format.

Though these discussions are not the deciding factor in changing the playoff format, this “Playoff Committee” serves as a sounding board for the sport to help point them in the right direction for the future. 

The committee most recently met last week ahead of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

By all accounts, this was like the final meeting of the Playoff Committee, with NASCAR officials, such as Mike Forde, suggesting just as much during a recent episode of Hauler Talk. 

Following the meetings this committee has had, members, such as Denny Hamlin, have spoken freely about where they think the committee and NASCAR sit on the issue of changing, or slightly tweaking, the playoff format. With the high stakes of this potential final meeting, fans eagerly awaited to hear from members on how this meeting went.

During the latest episode of his podcast Actions Detrimental, Hamlin gave fans what they wanted to hear, speaking on last week’s Playoff Committee meeting in a somewhat optimistic tone. 

“Better Than What We Have”

Much like fellow committee member Jeff Gluck of The Athletic reported on Sunday, Hamlin claims that at this meeting members showed renewed and growing support for a return to a 36-race championship format.

While this is a good sign for supporters of such a format, Hamlin, much like Gluck, warned that a return to a full-season point system is still highly unlikely, saying, “I just would not get your hopes up.”

Nonetheless, Hamlin reiterated that he hopes the format is “simplified,” while some might go after stage racing, the eliminations that happen, or playoff points. Hamlin states that he wants drivers who consistently “show excellence” to be rewarded. In particular, Hamlin opposes the four times that NASCAR resets the points throughout the playoffs.

“I just want the guys that show excellence every week to be rewarded for that, and not have to fight every three weeks with a reset to take away their advantage that they have built. And so surely there’s a format out there that can give a little bit to everyone, and I think it’s possible.” — Denny Hamlin

In a good sign for those who support simplification of the playoffs, Hamlin says that NASCAR’s proposed changes are “on the right track,” and that the new playoff format is “certainly going to be better than what we have.”

Will There Be a New Format?

Despite the optimism about the potential for change, there’s no confirmation that NASCAR will even change the playoff format. However, many industry members suggest that the sport is heading that way.

While nothing is confirmed, there is a rumored playoff format floating around that would see two rounds of three races and a final round of four races to crown a champion. In this format, most suspect that five drivers will be eliminated in the first two rounds, with six qualifying for the four-race finale.

Among other topics discussed during this playoff meeting, Jeff Gluck reported that NASCAR has considered removing playoff points and granting points based on regular-season finishing position at the start of the playoffs. However, some elements are likely to stick around, such as the often-criticized ‘win and in’ system.

For rumors, news, and background information on NASCAR’s 2025 review of its playoff format, including details on committee meetings, make sure to check out the article linked below.

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