{"id":26696,"date":"2024-11-12T13:30:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-12T18:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=26696"},"modified":"2024-11-12T14:25:31","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T19:25:31","slug":"nascar-needs-a-playoff-format-change-but-to-what","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2024\/11\/12\/nascar-needs-a-playoff-format-change-but-to-what\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR Needs A Playoff Format Change, But To What?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>With Joey Logano&#8217;s third championship has raised alarms with many fans over the playoffs. Should NASCAR change the format to award a higher performing champion? What championship format should NASCAR adopt?<\/h3>\n<p>Joey Logano&#8217;s securing his third NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix proved to be incredibly controversial. Some applauded him and Penske for their performance during the final run of the Playoffs. Others, in fact most, criticized NASCAR heavily for allowing a driver with a season average finish of 17.11 across the year to win a championship\u2014the worst average finish ever for a NASCAR champion.<\/p>\n<p>This has, of course, led to many <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2024\/09\/19\/aggressive-driving-has-ruined-nascar-playoffs\/\" target=\"_self\">questioning the Playoff format<\/a> and asking for a change. While criticizing Logano and Penske is harsh, it is ridiculous that Kyle Larson, the driver with the most wins in 2024, didn\u2019t make it to the final four. NASCAR does need to rethink the Playoffs. The question is, what could replace it?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">After Phoenix, Joey Logano was left defending his Cup Series championship in the elimination-style playoff format. <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KevinHarvick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@KevinHarvick<\/a> shares his thoughts.<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaitlynvincie?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@KaitlynVincie<\/a> | <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MambaSmith34?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@MambaSmith34<\/a> | <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NASCAR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#NASCAR<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4PvJVlqXnV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/4PvJVlqXnV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; HarvickHappyHour (@HarvickHappyPod) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HarvickHappyPod\/status\/1856378856745164869?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 12, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>A Regular Points System<\/h4>\n<p>No matter what your favorite motorsport is, you have to applaud <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.formula1.com\/en\/latest\/article\/the-beginners-guide-to-the-f1-drivers-championship.53MjXJzTDxQnfxfoCLnxNZ\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Formula 1 for keeping things simple<\/a>. The most points decide its champion scored across all 24 rounds of a season, including the six sprint races. Even then, point handouts are simple. The top ten all score, from 25 for the winner to one for P10. In the sprint, it\u2019s the top eight that score, and from 2025 onwards, the fastest lap point will cease to exist.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">DRIVER STANDINGS (after 21\/24 rounds)<\/p>\n<p>Max Verstappen surges ahead with just three races to go<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/F1?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#F1<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/BrazilGP?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#BrazilGP<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7PezUcF3om\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/7PezUcF3om<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Formula 1 (@F1) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/F1\/status\/1853171032472875079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 3, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>This can lead to championships being wrapped up early, but that rewards the driver and team that has done the best job across a season. It\u2019s the fairest and simplest way to decide a season&#8217;s outcome, and it is also the easiest thing NASCAR could do to sort out the problem. Plus, as 2021 showed, an F1 decider can go to the wire between two drivers on equal points. However, NASCAR seems intent on creating drama and entertainment as artificially as possible, so it might not choose the \u2018fairest\u2019 route.<\/p>\n<h3>A Revamp Of The Playoffs<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NASCAR Cup Series EXTENDED HIGHLIGHTS: Championship race at Phoenix | 11\/10\/24 | Motorsports on NBC\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_90RWQSCYVs?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Something that it could do is slightly tweak the playoff system\u2014not in a radical way, but enough to make things a little better. For example, why not get to the final four but then have 3 to 4 rounds based on point scoring? Whoever is the best in that run of races is the champion. And it can add up to someone being more consistent than his three rivals during that final brace of races.<\/p>\n<p>But are there other ways of making the Playoffs fairer? Whatever you do, there is always going to be a degree of randomness to the result, and even with this tweak, the best driver across the whole season may still miss out. On that basis, perhaps a regular points system is still the best solution.<\/p>\n<h4>Don\u2019t Follow IndyCar\u2019s Route:<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"INDYCAR SERIES Official Extended Highlights | 2024 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix at Nashville\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IT4b7-vbM2g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>One thing NASCAR could do is adopt IndyCar\u2019s points system\u2026the problem with that is that IndyCar\u2019s points system is needlessly complicated. Everyone gets at least a point if they complete a lap, hence why drivers can pick up damage, go five laps down, get back out on track, and just drive around. There are points for most laps led, fastest lap, pole position, etc. It&#8217;s fair, as <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2024\/09\/17\/how-alex-palou-became-2024-indycar-champion\/\" target=\"_self\">the champion is still the driver with the most points<\/a> come the season finale. But it&#8217;s not relatively as easy to work out the outcome as it is in Formula 1 or even in MotoGP and Formula E.<\/p>\n<h4>Don\u2019t Be Too Harsh On Logano And Penske:<\/h4>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NASCAR at Phoenix Raceway Nov. 2024: Joey Logano post race\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qHyyQ8PS65U?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>One thing we shouldn\u2019t be is harsh on Logano and Penske. They played to the same rules as everyone else, as did their rivals against them. They executed brilliantly during the Playoffs to be in a position to win, and Logano drove a fantastic race in Phoenix to beat teammate and outgoing champion Ryan Blaney to the title. Logano is right when he says the criticism leveled at him and his team is unfair. It\u2019s a case of \u201chate the game, but don\u2019t hate the player.\u201d In the context of this insane format, Logano is a worthy champion.<\/p>\n<p>But something has to change. Imagine if Larson, who utterly dominated in 2021, hadn\u2019t won that year\u2019s title. <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.nascar.com\/gallery\/kevin-harvick-2020-season-in-review\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kevin Harvick arguably was the best driver in 2020<\/a>, winning nine races, and he didn\u2019t deserve a fifth-place finish come the season&#8217;s end. If NASCAR wants to remain a serious racing series, it needs to ensure its championship doesn\u2019t come down to who has a great final few rounds after looking somewhat \u2018mid\u2019 earlier in the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With Joey Logano&#8217;s third championship has raised alarms with many fans over the playoffs. Should NASCAR change the format to award a higher performing champion? What championship format should NASCAR adopt? Joey Logano&#8217;s securing his third NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix proved to be incredibly controversial. Some applauded him and Penske for their performance [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5372,"featured_media":26723,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,5,1664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-nascar","category-nascar-cup-series"],"modified_by":"Hayden Murdock","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5372"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}