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CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 24: Sam Mayer, driver of the #41 Audibel Ford, and Jeb Burton, driver of the #27 Timber Creek\/Dive Bomb Chevrolet, drives during the NASCAR Xfinity Series BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series will return to a full-season points system in 2026. The series confirmed the change after being acquired by FloSports. Instead of a playoff format<\/a>, the championship will again be decided by total points earned across the entire season. Series officials described the move as a return to a system many drivers consider the fairest.<\/p>\n The decision has drawn attention because many racing series have copied NASCAR\u2019s playoff model over the last two decades.<\/p>\n Veteran racer Kenny Wallace says this move matters because it shows short-track racing is no longer following NASCAR\u2019s lead. Instead, he says, grassroots racing is choosing stability and consistency at a time when NASCAR faces pressure to defend its own system.<\/p>\n Kenny Wallace Points to a Shift in Racing\u2019s Power Structure<\/p>\n Kenny Wallace discussed the change on his \u201cCoffee with Kenny<\/a>\u201d show. He said the move stood out because it came before any similar action from NASCAR. \u201cThis is the first time I\u2019ve seen it be the opposite,\u201d Wallace said. \u201cThis is the first time where I\u2019ve seen a short track series say, \u2018Nope, we\u2019re making the move before NASCAR does. We\u2019re going back to normal format next year.\u201d<\/p>\n Wallace added that the shift reflects a larger change in the sport. \u201cThat\u2019s how far NASCAR has fallen, he said<\/a>.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s how wounded NASCAR is.\u201d<\/p>\n The series has not cited NASCAR directly as a reason for the change. Officials have said the goal is to reward consistent performance across the season.<\/p>\n NASCAR\u2019s Playoff Format Under Pressure<\/p>\n NASCAR introduced its playoff system in 2004. The format has gone through several revisions, including elimination rounds and stage racing. The goal was to create more drama late in the season and keep more drivers in title contention.<\/p>\n The system has also drawn criticism over the years. Critics say it places too much weight on late races and can allow a champion to be decided by a single incident. The discussion has intensified following NASCAR\u2019s recent antitrust settlement.<\/p>\n Calls for Change Grow Louder<\/p>\n Wallace said the combination of the settlement and the LOLMDS decision has increased pressure on NASCAR to act. \u201cNASCAR cannot go back to normal points quick enough,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Wallace also pointed to Hall of Famer Mark Martin, who has long supported a season-long points system. After the LOLMDS announcement, Martin reacted simply with, \u201cGreat news.\u201d<\/p>\n Wallace echoed that view. \u201cThe hell with it. Just go all 36 races,\u201d he said. \u201cGive Mark Martin what he\u2019s been asking for. Mark\u2019s been right so far.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin has previously said most fans prefer a championship decided by results over the full season rather than a playoff reset.<\/p>\n For Wallace, the timing matters. He said the settlement gives NASCAR a chance to reset. \u201cNow they got this opportunity to come together and do all the right things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n With short-track racing moving back to traditional points, NASCAR faces renewed focus on its own format. The decision from LOLMDS shows that not every series believes that playoffs are the future. Whether NASCAR follows that path remains unanswered, but the timeline for change is now under close watch.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Image CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 24: Sam Mayer, driver of the #41 Audibel Ford, and Jeb…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":285264,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-346938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=346938"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/346938\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/285264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=346938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=346938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=346938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}