The Complete 2024 NASCAR TV Ratings Tracker
What’s Happening? There are few things more important to NASCAR than TV ratings. TV networks are largely responsible for funding the…
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The NASCAR playoffs do not have the best reputation online following the final two races of the NASCAR Cup Series Season. While NASCAR is planning to review and perhaps overhaul the system, there are a few snags in pursuing that. Here’s what could keep NASCAR from making major changes to its playoffs in the next year.
The history of the NASCAR playoffs is full of controversy, such as in 2015, when Kyle Busch competed in 25 races and won the championship, in 2018, when Joey Logano upset Kyle Busch’s amazing season, and when Kevin Harvick suffered the same fate in 2020.
Some other general complaints about the playoffs include:
That last point, the 16-driver field, is a tricky one, as some in the industry, such as Denny Hamlin, have claimed that large field sizes benefit sponsors. This financial aspect of the playoffs will make it difficult for NASCAR to change the playoffs in 2025 and 2026.
According to a report from Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal and a SiriusXM NASCAR Radio interview with NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer, the sport is open to looking into improvements this offseason and major changes in the future.
However, despite the complaints, NASCAR has made it clear that the playoffs, the ten-race portion of the season, are not going anywhere. In last Friday’s State of the Sport press conference, NASCAR President Steve Phelps said, “We’re not going to go away from playoffs.”
While NASCAR will have talks this offseason to review this format, fans will more than likely not see major changes soon. Here’s why:
What’s Happening? There are few things more important to NASCAR than TV ratings. TV networks are largely responsible for funding the…
At the end of the 2023 season, NASCAR announced a new media rights deal with NBC, Fox, TNT, and Amazon Prime taking over the Cup Series. For NBC, which will have the playoffs exclusively, they will get to promote these “high-stakes” races as special events.
Essentially, getting rid of the playoffs altogether could be detrimental to NBC’s marketing for them. However, it should be noted that while the playoffs are technically different, according to our 2024 NASCAR Cup Series TV Ratings track, there is no significant spike in viewership for them.
In fact, via our ratings graph, you can see the only uptick is in the final four races of the season. However, this improvement is positive for the networks and the Sport.
But another, a more forgotten stakeholder, would be affected by a dramatic end to the playoffs.
What’s Happening? When planning a new schedule, NASCAR considers all possibilities. This year, NASCAR took the opportunity to change the Playoffs…
For 2025, NASCAR overhauled its entire playoff schedule, including shifting key tracks to key playoff rounds.
For example, Talladega moves from the Round of 12 to the Round of Eight in 2025, creating even more playoff chaos for the tracks to sell tickets on. Furthermore, Darlington, Gateway, and New Hampshire have acquired a playoff race for 2025, something the tracks are already promoting.
If NASCAR were to remove that playoff race from New Hampshire this offseason abruptly, this marketing aspect would be off the table.
Furthermore, for non-NASCAR or Speedway Motorsports-owned tracks, like Gateway, if this is a multi-year contracted spot in the schedule, the lack of a playoff race could violate that contract into 2026. While the tracks may be open to changes, the abrupt loss of a Playoff Race would surely hurt the relationship between NASCAR and its track partners.
While we may not see changes this offseason, perhaps NASCAR can use 2025 to revive the playoff system and work with its stakeholders to find what’s best for all parties.
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