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…
In the latest episode of NASCAR’s Hauler Talk, NASCAR Managing Director of Racing Communications Mike Forde gave insight into the first meeting of NASCAR’s new Playoff Committee. Forde revealed tidbits about the discussion and who some of the committee members are.
Rumors of a committee first surfaced on Jan 27, when NASCAR confirmed that the system would remain unchanged for 2025 and that the current system would be reviewed throughout the year. Fans generally liked this idea, as it meant that NASCAR was less likely to have a knee-jerk reaction to backlash and make quick changes.
The committee first met during speedweeks at Daytona two weeks ago. In this episode of Hauler Talk, Forde states that the committee’s goal is to find the balance between Crowning a deserving champion and engaging fans both at the track and at home with the on-track product.
“Tim Clark opened up the meeting.. with the goal of here’s what we want to do. We want to create a playoff system, whether it’s keeping it or changing it, that A: crown’s a deserving champion but also maintains or elevates fan engagement, whether that is from a digital perspective, social perspective, or, most importantly, butts in the seats and eyeballs on the television.” — Mike Forde
Clark is the Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer for NASCAR; Forde claims that Clark was a key figure in assembling the committee.
What’s Happening? After months of speculation, NASCAR has confirmed there will be no changes to its Playoff Format for the 2025…
Forde did not list every member of the roughly 25-person committee that he describes as cross-functional, cross-departmental, and cross-industrywide. However, he did name-drop key figures and hint at who a few members are outside of the expected NASCAR brass.
Some key figures aside from the previously mentioned Tim Clark include Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s SVP for Strategy & Innovation, whom Forde claims is the chairperson of the committee. Forde also mentions Julia Landauer, a former ARCA Menards Series West regular, whom he describes as Kennedy’s “right-hand woman.”
The rest of the members include representatives from teams, networks, and OEMs. However, when it comes to drivers, Forde states that there is a mix of current drivers and Hall of Famers. He even hints that “a lot of them have podcasts” and that “you also have two drivers who are also owners that are in it.”
While he does not name names, options for current and retired drivers who own teams and have podcasts include Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin. Other potential members from these clues could be RFK Racing co-owner Brad Keselowski, Hall of Famer, podcast host, and FOX Sports analyst Kevin Harvick.
Forde does reveal one specific driver on the committee, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell. Forde claims that “NASCAR has really turned to him as a leader in the garage. We have recognized his talents; we’ve recognized his voice.”
What’s Happening? On this week’s episode of Actions Detrimental, Denny Hamlin claims he heard a “dirty rumor” that NASCAR is looking…
While Forde does not discuss the meeting’s details, he describes it as “a really educational, valuable discussion.” While there was no agenda for the meeting, it looks like some real points of contention from NASCAR fans found their way into the committee’s first meeting.
From the provided description, those on the committee fell into the same three categories fans often find themselves in. This includes, as Forde claims, a retired driver who is in the NASCAR Hall of Fame stating his opinion that the sport should resort to the traditional full-season points system.
Proponents of the playoffs allegedly suggested ideas like a three-race final round or even a “seven-race lead into a three-race championship.” Forde also mentions one idea floated by drivers and fans alike, which included cutting the field down from 16 drivers to the 12 or even 10 used in the earliest iterations of the playoffs.
Fans frequently discuss all of these ideas online; however, as far as a return to a 36-race points season goes, NASCAR COO Steve O’Donnell has claimed in the past that the playoffs aren’t going anywhere.
What’s Happening? NASCAR President Steve Phelps and COO Steve O’Donnell sat down with NASCAR’s media for the State of the Sport…
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