Connor Zilisch sits next to his car after losing the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship to Jesse Love at Phoenix Raceway. Image: James Gilbert/Getty Images
That’s shifted, and it’s accepted among the majority of NASCAR fans – casual or diehard – that it will decide its champion differently in 2026.
NASCAR has said as much. On the eve of the championship-deciders, stock car racing’s president Steve O’Donnell conceded change is coming.
“One of the concerns is future drivers coming up through the system, having multiple wins, and not necessarily winning a championship,” he explained.
“As you look at the future of the sport, [it’s] making sure that a driver who has delivered all season long has the ability to be named a champion, and not have something maybe come down to one race, that’s really been the focal point, is we want to reward winning.
“We’re going to continue to do that. Whatever model we come up with, winning is very important. The one-race thing has been a factor of there’s a lot of circumstances that can happen.
“Our fans, right or wrong, are different than other stick-and-ball sports. That’s okay. I’ve said this before — when the Giants win the Super Bowl, because I’m a Giants fan, nobody questions it. Everyone says, Giants are Super Bowl champions. Our fans don’t do that.
“That’s been a learning process for us, as well.”
A year ago, fans were disgruntled that Team Penske’s Joey Logano could cruise his way through the season, win his way into the Playoffs, enjoy a purple patch in the final 10 races, then be crowned champion in the winner-takes-all final.
He ended the season with the lowest average position of any NASCAR champion in the sport’s history. It irked fans, only adding to the years of pent up frustration over the format. How could someone so “average” be champion?
Ultimately, the format discredits those like Logano who use it to their advantage, but also discredits drivers who grind all year only to come up short because they can’t put it together when it counts.
Kyle Larson celebrates in victory lane after finish first of the NASCAR Cup Series Championship 4 drivers to win the NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway. Image: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
This year, there was controversy across all three categories. NASCAR avoided disaster by Corey Heim, who had the most dominant Truck Series season in recent memory, clinching the title.
There were, however, questions about the legitimacy of his final round rivals – two of which had not won a race all season.
Doomsdayers feared those drivers could be considered the sport’s best without even having won. After all, they need not win, just finish first among the top four championship contenders.
In the Xfinity Series, Connor Zilisch came up short. His stats this season would be the envy of any driver, but Jesse Love won the final.
Zilisch won 10 races. Love won the first race of the year to book his Playoffs berth and clinched the winner-takes-all final. Job done.
Then there was the Cup Series. Denny Hamlin dominated the final race. He led the most laps of any driver in a championship-decider, but a late caution, and one bad decision to change four tyres instead of just two, losing track position to Kyle Larson, bit him badly.
In just a few laps, Larson went from looking like a no-hoper to champion — but don’t hate the player, hate the game.
The call that denied Denny Hamlin a fairytale NASCAR finish
The champion shouldn’t feel guilty, but that was the sentiment of Larson who snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.
“It’s such an odd feeling of, you’re so excited because you won the championship, but you know, I do have a heart,” said Larson.
“Denny is a great competitor and a good friend. To see somebody that’s just gotten so close every time to win in the championship, and have it in their fingertips, doing everything right throughout the day and weekend and get it snatched from him late…
“When I finally get to see him later tonight, I just don’t even know what to say. Like, I’m saying, ‘Sorry’.”
The ultimate irony in all of this is that – depending on how you do it – a 36-race points system may have given Larson the championship anyway, but that’s not the reality.
Hamlin’s heartbreak was the stuff of horror movies. It didn’t feel fair. He took pole position, rebounded from early adversity, and dominated the race, putting in a championship-winning performance, only to have bad one call and an overtime finish flip the script.
The finish at Phoenix felt wrong — but, them’s the rules. Hamlin and his team had to play by them, and they got it wrong.
But fancy this year’s AFL grand final. The Brisbane Lions hold a comfortable lead over the Geelong Cats, then the umpire decides with two minutes to go to zero the scores and the next goal wins. Fair? Hardly.
And it all comes back to what Phelps said.
“Our fans, right or wrong, are different than other stick-and-ball sports.”
It begs the question whether the way NASCAR crowns its champion really is fair, or just accept that those are the rules and everyone has to play by them.
Confetti rains on Kyle Larson after winning the NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix. Image: Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Even the champion is keen to see change.
“I think we all would feel like we have a better opportunity to win a championship if it was more races that factored into it,” said Larson.
“So, if that’s 36 races or 10 races or four, whatever the number is, I think I would feel like I have a better opportunity than just coming down to one race.
“As yesterday showed, you could have the best car and be doing the best job like Denny was and not leave the champion. That doesn’t feel right. And we are all certainly feeling that today.”
In any case, if you read the echo chamber of social media, fans will have you know they’re jaded – and after all, they’re who NASCAR has to please.
NASCAR is arguably worse off without Hamlin among its champions. The sport will move onto a new championship format next year. If he never wins the title, it’ll be for all the wrong reasons.
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