NASCAR Confirms No New Playoff Format in 2025
What’s Happening? After months of speculation, NASCAR has confirmed there will be no changes to its Playoff Format for the 2025…
Kyle Larson’s NASCAR Production Day interview featured some interesting comments about his feelings about winning a championship. His feelings about winning a championship are re-introducing the debate about the value of NASCAR’s Playoff system amongst fans.
In 2024, Larson had another stellar season but came up short of the Championship Four at Phoenix.
During his sit-down interview with Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports, Larson was asked if he was okay with winning six races a year but not the championship. This is, of course, a reference to his performance last season. Larson responded by saying that being a Champion helps him get past having a great season but coming up short in the Playoffs.
“If I didn’t have a championship already, I would say no, I wouldn’t be good with that,” Larson said. “But, I think having a championship already, you know, allowed me to get over it more so this past season.”
Larson further stated that he felt he could win most of the races in a season without winning a championship.
“You know, it just the formats really… really difficult and, you know, it doesn’t… when it comes down to just one race at the end, like you know it’s a opportunity… you know, there’s an opportunity that can happen. So, I mean, I think we could win 20 races any year and still not win the championship.”
Larson also stated that “if nothing changes,” in reference to the Playoff format, Team Penske will always have the best shot in a one-race championship.
These comments aren’t uncommon for fans and some drivers. But for a driver as noteworthy as Larson to make them, of course, made ripples in the NASCAR online community.
What’s Happening? After months of speculation, NASCAR has confirmed there will be no changes to its Playoff Format for the 2025…
Similar comments about the playoffs have been made by NASCAR Champion Kevin Harvick. In 2020, after missing out on the Championship Four, Harvick stated he felt the championship was not what it once was.
“Look, these championship aren’t like winning like Petty and Earnhardt used to win them. You have to put them together three weeks at a time and it comes down to one race and it came down to one race for us tonight and came up short.” — Kevin Harvick 2020
That season, Harvick won nine races and had an average finish of 7.3. His post race interview started a fan debate on the legitimacy of the playoffs. Some, were of course upset that a nine-win season in a system focused on winning was no longer championship material.
The playoff debate returned this season as well. Following an improbable championship from Joey Logano, who was technically eliminated from the playoffs at one point, a large portion of fans tore into the system. Reportedly, this outpouring was enough that NASCAR was interested in reviewing the system for 2025.
After an offseason of speculation, NASCAR revealed earlier this week that they would not change the format in 2025. Following this announcement, Pockrass posted the clip of Larson with the context that the format is not changing.
Fans reacted to Pockrass’ post by expressing their displeasure with the system yet again. This time, however, it was focused on who was saying it. Some felt that a driver of Larson’s caliber, being “okay” with not winning the championship, could be a side effect of the Playoff system.
While some took Larson’s aloof comments to mean that he doesn’t care about a title, Larson has a history of such comments, like when he said in 2018, “For me, Chili Bowl is up there with the Daytona 500.”
At the time, Larson was comparing the Chili Bowl Nationals, a major dirt midget race, to the Daytona 500. Fans have taken this to mean that the Daytona 500 could mean less to drivers now than it used to. While that is another conversation in its own right, it shows that Larson has a different perspective than other drivers.
Some interpret his Production Day comments as a similar criticism of the playoff system, especially given the recent news of no playoff format changes, but Larson avoids directly criticizing the format.
Larson approached his comments with a calm demeanor, understanding that this is the format the drivers have to face. While it may seem as if he doesn’t care about winning a title, Larson did state that in a system as difficult as this one, he’s just happy he has a championship.
For a winner like Larson, having a Championship is a box checked in a future Hall of Fame career, and while he’d like to win another, his focus is on finding a victory lane each week.
What do you think about all this? Let us know on Discord and X, and remember to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
