In recent days, NASCAR has made several updates to this season's competition, and they haven't ruled out more changes in the weeks to come before the season begins. Chief among these changes have been the elimination of the Damaged Vehicle Policy, the creation of the Open Exemption Provisional, which creates a 41st (and guaranteed) starting position for drivers from other forms of motorsport, and the announcement that drivers who require a non-medical exemption into the Playoffs (like Kyle Larson did last year after missing the Coca-Cola 600 because he competed in the Indianapolis 500) will lose all of their playoff points.
Fans have been asking for a change to the playoff system for several years, and Joey Logano's championship run has led many to wonder why a driver who finished 17th in season-long points can “show up” for four races in a year and win a championship. Journalists and fans alike have provided many examples of idealistic playoff formats, and now, I'll throw my hat in the ring.
NASCAR's Playoff History
NASCAR's first attempt at a season-ending championship round was in 2004, with the Chase for the Cup, which saw a points reset for the top 10 drivers in the standings for the final 10 races. In 2007, this was extended to the top 12 drivers, but the Chase was still the final 10 races of the season.
In 2011, NASCAR changed the points system from the Latford system, which had been used since 1975, to a points system where each driver gained one point for each position, starting with 1 point for finishing 43rd and going up to 43 points for a win. They also instituted a Wild Card system, where the top 10 in points would still make the Chase, but the final two drivers would be given to the two drivers with the most wins between 11th and 20th in the overall standings.
In 2014, there was a massive reset, and the Chase expanded to 16 drivers with the current win-and-in system with four rounds. In 2017, stage and playoff points were added, and the name of the Chase was changed to the Playoffs, which is where we stand today.
Many fans have called for the return of the season-long points format with the Latford points system, with seasons like 1992 and 2002 used as examples of great season-long points battles that came down to the season's final race. However, for each good battle, there was one where the champion ran away and locked up the championship before the final race, like 1994 and 2001. It was probably the most rewarding format for champions, but for good reason, NASCAR wants a close championship battle, but it isn't something NASCAR would be willing to go back to.
The New Points System
First, to overhaul the playoff system, we need to overhaul the points system. A common criticism of the Latford system was that it didn't reward winning enough, but the current system also seems to reward winning too much. In order to find a good system for rewarding winning, the following points system would be used.
The winner of each race would earn 200 points, and second place would earn 190. From second place down to 39th, each position would earn five fewer points than the driver who finished ahead of them. 40th place would receive one point, but if NASCAR continues to expand their fields back up to 43, 40th place would receive four points, and each position descending would receive one less point.
Additionally, stage points would be kept to encourage drivers to race hard throughout the entire race. They would continue to be handed out on a descending basis from first to 10th, with first place receiving 10 points and 10th receiving one. However, there would no longer be any stage cautions.
Finally, bonus points would be awarded during each race. Five points would be awarded to the pole winner, the fastest lap, and each driver who leads a lap, and 10 extra points would be awarded to the driver who leads the most laps.
The New Playoff Schedule
A new playoff schedule would also need to be established, and it would need to stay fairly consistent for the new format to work (more on that below). The Playoffs would remain at 10 races, but there would be two “rounds” of five races.
The first five races would be held at the Charlotte Roval, Atlanta, Bristol, Darlington, and Las Vegas. They would be held on a rotating basis (except for Darlington, which would host the Southern 500 on Labor Day Weekend - if the schedule falls in a way where Darlington would need to be the 26th race of the season, Richmond would take its place in the Playoffs.) The final five races would be held at Martinsville, Talladega, Phoenix, Kansas, and Homestead on a rotating basis, with all but Talladega being eligible for the season's final race.
Daytona would remain as the cutoff race before the Playoffs, and the rest of the races before the Playoffs would remain as is, with changes coming as they regularly would. The only changes to the playoff races would come if new tracks, specifically Rockingham and a reconfigured Auto Club, were to come to the schedule - Rockingham would enter into the last five races at the expense of Phoenix, and Phoenix would join Auto Club as part of a three-race West Coast swing in the first round, pushing the second races at Bristol and Atlanta into the regular season.
The New Playoff Format
Finally, we get to the new playoff format. It would remain at 16 drivers, though I would be more than willing to decrease the number to 14 or 12. The playoff eligibility would not change, except for reinstating the top 30 in points rule. However, if any drivers in the top 10 in points were knocked out of the Playoffs due to a high number of winners, they would also be added. All drivers would start the playoffs with 5,000 points, with each win giving a driver five bonus points to start the first round. Each driver in the top 10 in regular-season points would get 10 additional points for each position above 10th. For example, the driver who finishes first in points for the first 26 races would earn 100 bonus points, along with however many points they receive for their wins, and the driver who finishes tenth in points would earn 10 bonus points.
After the first five races, any drivers outside the top 8 and more than 200 points (one race win) behind the points leader would be eliminated. All the drivers who advance would have their points reset, but this time with no bonus points. Everyone who survives the first five races gets to continue to race for the championship, and they will all start on the same level. For the final five races, the driver with the most points out of those still in the Playoffs will be crowned champion. Additionally, wins will not matter for who makes the final round. If a driver wins a race in the first round but is 300 points behind the leader, they will not advance.
While this system may seem complex, it is nowhere near as complex as the current system. Currently, there are two points systems - the season points system and the playoff points system, which separates the drivers based on how many race wins and stage wins they have. This system would be more fair to the drivers, as a driver can't have a season like Joey Logano had in 2024 and expect to win a championship. Additionally, it appeals to NASCAR, as they would likely be unwilling to get rid of the Playoffs in their entirety.
Would this system fix all of NASCAR's issues today? No. However, it would be a good start in righting wrongs and fixing some of the issues that NASCAR has created for itself.
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