Winds can change quickly in sports. Which is why the NASCAR Playoffs have gone from inevitable to being reconsidered altogether. After multiple committee meetings involving many different members of the industry, opinions are starting to shift.
For years, the thought has been that the NASCAR Playoffs are a must. They have to happen for TV ratings, for sponsorships, TV ad-buys, and more. But is that actually true? Has the format led to more viewers late in the season? Look at the recent numbers, and you will see that simply isn’t the case.
According to Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, who has been part of the committee meetings, a full 36-race season championship is back on the table. It is not the most likely option. A tweaked version of the playoff would be preferred. But it is a possibility where, earlier this season, it was seen as a daydream.
“NASCAR is now seriously weighing the possibility of drastically overhauling the playoffs or doing away with them altogether. A modified playoff system, in which the most criticized elements of the current format are tweaked, may still win out. Yet the mere chance of going back to a 36-race schedule determining the series champion – a scenario which seemed borderline impossible seven months ago – marks a dizzying turnaround that speaks to a crossroads for stock car racing.”
Jeff Gluck lists five reasons why returning to a 36-race format would be the best option. It’s a few things that we have heard before in this argument. Gluck says that it is: star power, devaluing the regular season, motorsports are not other sports, the playoffs haven’t worked, and simplification. No more awkward rules about points would be a nice change.
NASCAR Playoffs could change or be done away with
Right now, NASCAR does have more than one issue. The NASCAR Playoffs are just one of those problems. Even in a 36-race championship, viewers are going to be hard to get when competing against the almighty NFL. Racing is also not the best sport to bet on. It is very difficult and not as easy to casually participate in as stick and ball sports.
As the NFL continues to pull in record-breaking viewership, everyone else, not just NASCAR, is looking for solutions. Adam Silver of the NBA basically admitted what everyone in the media has known for years: it’s a highlight sport. Social media sport. NASCAR is not that.
So, how do you change that with the NASCAR Playoffs or lack thereof? You could argue that the sport needs its own identity, and playoffs are not it. Could a 36-race schedule be unique enough to keep fans interested and engaged? Does NASCAR have to shorten its season up, maybe run midweek races to keep it at 36, but avoid competing with football season as much?
There are many ways for the NASCAR Playoffs to change. We should all expect an expanded championship round with new rules around points, advancing, and everything else. But there is still a spectre haunting the sport that is the 36-race format.