Since its inception, the NASCAR Playoff Format has been the root cause of several controversies. With the ending of the 2024 Season causing an outcry for a change to the format. Let’s look back at some other controversies this post-season has caused.
Since introducing the NASCAR Playoff format in 2004, it has delivered some truly controversial moments. This was highlighted by the end of the 2024 season, with Joey Logano and Penske taking the series championship with an average finish of just 17.1, the worst in the format’s history.
This isn’t the only controversial moment the series has had, however. Plenty more moments have led to many questioning whether the Playoffs are the right way for NASCAR to go. As this article will reveal, several moments have swung the Playoffs in another direction, perhaps unfairly.
The 2024 Cook-Out 400 at Richmond Raceway
As the 2024 Cook-Out 400 at Richmond neared its conclusion in overtime, RCR’s #3 Austin Dillon went all in for the win, lunging into the back of, ironically, Joey Logano and putting the Penske driver into the wall. Denny Hamlin in the #11 then sneaked into the lead, only for Dillon to turn into the Joe Gibbs Racing driver and send Hamlin into the wall, with Dillon taking the win and sending him into the playoffs.
But the move drew the ire of most NASCAR fans, even more so after audio emerged of Dillon’s spotter shouting “wreck him” over the team radio about Hamlin. The move could have ended the Playoff run for both Logano and Hamlin, and in the end, NASCAR let Dillon keep the win, but it would not count towards the Playoffs.
The 2020 Xfinity 500 at Martinsville:
Kevin Harvick was the most vital driver of the 2020 NASCAR season. He won nine races overall, including winning the first race following the Covid-19-induced shutdown at Darlington. Yet despite winning the most races of anyone that year, Harvick didn’t make it into the Final Four and was eliminated at Martinsville with a 17th-place finish.
It led Kyle Busch to say, “It’s hard to fathom,” and Martin Truex Jr. to echo that with, “It’s insane.” It was indeed wild, with Harvick entering that race second in the Playoffs with a 42-point advantage. Harvick had been superb all year, and for him to miss out due to the format seemed improbable to both his rivals and fans. Harvick had started the Playoffs well two, with two victories in the Round of 16 at Darlington and Bristol. NASCAR tried to put a positive spin on this, yet too many thought it was wrong that Harvick missed out.
Kyle Busch and the 2019 NASCAR Playoffs:
Kyle Busch won the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series Championship, and many might think this meant it was a walkover for one of the fastest drivers in the field. However, with Bush not winning a race in the first three rounds and only taking a Playoff victory in the final race of the season, this is another season that highlights the issues faced by the Playoff format.
Busch had a solid “regular season” that year with several victories, but things did unravel as it got to the Playoffs. Busch would win at Pocono that June and his subsequent triumph wasn’t until the final race of the year in Homestead, Miami. This run included some poor results, including finishing 37th at the Charlotte Roval and just 19th at Talladega. Incidents like this are why many feel the format isn’t fit for purpose, and drivers such as Jeff Gordon never won a series championship under the Playoffs. After the 2024 season, what happens now for the Playoffs could be crucial to NASCAR’s future.
