On Sunday, Dylan ‘Mamba’ Smith found himself in the proverbial crosshairs of the NASCAR community for all the wrong reasons. Though he has since cleared the air on what he was saying, this has not helped the ongoing debate amongst fans about NASCAR’s Playoff system.
As NASCAR’s Chief Hype Officer, Dylan ‘Mamba’ Smith has several roles within the sport, including work for FOX Sports and TNT Sports. But, as an employee of NASCAR, Smith, like many others in his position, is often viewed by fans as a mouthpiece for NASCAR.
Following Austin Dillon’s win last Saturday at Richmond, the conversation in the online NASCAR community shifted back to the NASCAR playoffs. Initially, this was due to Dillon being in the playoffs, though it quickly shifted into a war of words after Smith joined the NASCAR Playoff debate.
In response to a user who asked him why he thought it was bad for a driver to win the championship before the end of the season, with the user emphasizing their opinion that “the point of the championship is to crown the best driver,” Smith posted:
“The point isn’t to crown the best driver… It’s to crown the best team who executed the best when the pressure was at its highest and the lights were the brightest.” — Dylan ‘Mamba’ Smith via X
This one post started a battle, garnering over one million views, 1.2k responses, and many quotes. These stats are a stark contrast to those who liked the tweet, which only had 350 likes. It even gained the eye of Denny Hamlin, who responded, “Oh man, yikes.”
Among other complaints, fans seemed to latch onto the phrase “The point isn’t to crown the best driver” and/or the suggestion that the championship is more about the teams than the drivers. Something that his co-host, Kevin Harvick, brought up during the latest episode of Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour.
During Tuesday’s podcast episode, Harvick and Smith had a lengthy back-and-forth about his post, with Smith clarifying his claims to his co-hosts.
For note, Harvick, who won his first championship under the playoff system, did clarify that he also thought that Smith was saying that the teams matter more than the drivers.
“The way I interpreted your tweet was that the team was more important to the driver. The driver drives everything that happens. The teams think that their name means something, but the guy’s name above the door means the most. And the guy who makes the biggest difference is in the seat.” — Kevin Harvick
In the end, Smith clarified that the only point he was trying to make was that NASCAR is “a team sport,” with Harvick agreeing but pointing out that he, much like the rest of the NASCAR community, was confused by the wording, “I agree that it’s a team sport, but I think the way that you typed it was like you were half asleep.”
While fans and some industry members attacked Smith’s original post and flagged it as Playoff support or even propaganda, what seems to be lost in the conversation is that Smith’s comments were part of a thread in which he gave constructive criticism on the playoffs, saying:
“The only thing I would adjust in the playoffs is making the 1 race in round one and 3 for the championship round. I’ll take this format over the Indycar championship being wrapped up with 2 races to go.” — Dylan ‘Mamba’ Smith via X
This is a sentiment that he reasserted on the podcast, expressing his frustration with Alex Palou’s IndyCar title win with two races left in the season, and William Byron clinching the Regular Season title a week early.
Smith’s now viral post may have been confusing, but it should not be overlooked that he was not directly defending the current playoff system as a whole; rather, he was offering a tweak that many in the NASCAR community view as a solid yet temporary fix.
Overall, this looks to be a simple misunderstanding. But, for those who peered in on the comments but did not return for context, it has, once again, ignited the debate among fans on what route the sport should take in its championship format.
As usual, some see the debate as pointless and believe that NASCAR, despite recent comments, will not modify or move on from the playoff system, while others support minor tweaks to the current format.
There are also those lobbying for a full-season points system to return, with some fans even suggesting the points system utilized by the CARS Tour, a Late-Model Racing Series owned by Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Burton, and Justin Marks, as the way to go.
This is partially due to the close nature of their standings, which uses a system that awards more points for winning, leading laps, leading the most laps, and winning the pole or outside pole position.
Even well-known CARS Tour talent Landon Huffman, who races in the series’ Late Model Stock division, recently bragged about the points system in which he currently sits fifth. Whether this post was a result of the reignited playoff debate following Smith’s post or simply ironically timed, it was clearly aimed at NASCAR’s playoff system.
Huffman posted to X on Wednesday Morning, “For anyone wondering, there are 4 races left in the 2025 @CARSTour season and the top 5 in points are separated by only 33 points. No playoffs. No gimmicks. Season long points championship and it’s getting GOOD.”
While Smith has given clarity on his now unfortunately viral post, what should not be overlooked is the swift and sudden reaction fans had to a post in which they deemed playoff support from someone so deeply tied to NASCAR.
Though they are looking into changes to the playoffs, NASCAR has yet to announce any changes to the system going forward. Regardless of their decision, it seems like fans want to see some kind of change now more than ever.
What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
