NASCAR fans have hammered the playoff system for more than a year, and Denny Hamlin\u2019s heartbreaking miss in this season\u2019s finale only poured more fuel on their frustration. Now the backlash has jumped hemispheres. The Repco Supercars Championship fanbase is just as divided after the series\u2019 dominant driver fell short of the title in Year 1 of its elimination-format playoffs.<\/p>\n
Broc Feeney was the class of the field all season, winning a series-high 14 races and earning 19 poles, yet he wound up third in the final standings. A spin in Turn 5 on the opening lap of the Adelaide Grand Final and a failing engine derailed his title hopes, while four-race winner Chaz Mostert sailed to his first championship. Will Brown finished the year second.<\/p>\n
That prompted Jeff Gluck<\/a> to note that Supercars fans were echoing the same outrage NASCAR fans have voiced for years. On X (formerly Twitter) he wrote, \u201cSupercars just wrapped their first try at a playoff system and the best driver of the year didn\u2019t win it. The replies to the post below look familiar to NASCAR fans.\u201d<\/p>\n The comments were blistering. One fan said<\/a>, \u201cWhat an embarrassing mess Playoffs just don\u2019t reward the best team that performs over the season Ima Chaz fan but this is not cool.\u201d<\/p>\n Another added<\/a>, \u201cWe all know he\u2019s the real champion, no bullshit playoff system is gonna tell us otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n A third long-timer declared<\/a>, \u201cJust like NASCAR, until the playoffs are dropped, there will never be a champion that doesn\u2019t have an asterisk and a debate associated with them. Full season points eliminate both.\u201d A fourth compared the numbers and didn\u2019t hold back: \u201c19 poles, 14 wins vs 1 pole and 4 wins. Punishment of excellence for entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n Supercars just wrapped their first try at a playoff system and the best driver of the year didn\u2019t win it. The replies to the post below look familiar to NASCAR fans. https:\/\/t.co\/uwyMIxAMfn<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) November 30, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Feeney, sounding every bit as gutted and heartbroken as Hamlin after Phoenix, said<\/a>, \u201cI don\u2019t think you\u2019ll be hearing from me for a while. I\u2019ll be flying under the radar for a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n Supercars officials had revamped the format this season, splitting the 13 rounds and 34 races into three sections, with the final segment comprising seven races spread over three rounds. The first two rounds featured eliminations to determine which four drivers would battle for the title.<\/p>\n But unlike NASCAR, the Supercars finale wasn\u2019t a single winner-take-all event as the championship round consisted of three races, with the driver scoring the most points crowned champion. Feeney entered the last race with a 23-point lead over Mostert, needing only a steady run to lock it up.<\/p>\n Instead, contact from Mostert\u2019s teammate sent him tumbling from P5, and engine issues buried him further. Meanwhile, in the second race of the final round, Wood slipped from second place, allowing Mostert to grab nine crucial points.<\/p>\n Wood later said he had fuel-saving issues that cost him 14.2 seconds in the closing laps. Others weren\u2019t convinced, suggesting he manipulated the finish to keep Mostert within striking distance of Feeney. In the end, the system meant to create drama delivered controversy instead, and for many fans, it felt like d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu from NASCAR<\/a>\u2019s own playoff battles.<\/p>\n