NASCAR analyst Jordan Bianchi found himself at the center of controversy during a heated exchange on Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s “The Teardown” podcast, where he defended the sport’s embattled playoff format against mounting fan criticism.
The discussion reached its boiling point when declining viewership numbers became impossible to ignore, with just 1.29 million viewers tuning in for a crucial playoff race.
Jordan Bianchi Expresses Exhaustion With NASCAR Playoffs Format Debate
Bianchi didn’t hold back his frustration about the constant playoff format conversation that’s dominated NASCAR throughout 2025. Speaking with co-host Jeff Gluck, he made his position clear about how draining the endless back-and-forth has become.
“It’s constant, continual, what are we going to do? What should the format be? What should be this? What’s your format? Oh no, we’re going to do this format. Oh no, they’re talking about this,” Bianchi stated.
He emphasized that while playoff discussions have always been part of NASCAR this year feels different.
“Yes, the playoffs in NASCAR are a conversation. Nowhere near to this level that it has been this year on a regular basis,” he said.
The analyst pointed to the NASCAR playoff committee meetings as a major catalyst, explaining how each gathering sparks another wave of debate.
“Think about every time there’s been a committee meeting… It’s like, oh, this and that. It has been an exhausting conversation, much more than it has been in recent years.”
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Gluck wasn’t buying it, though. He countered Bianchi’s frustration by bringing up the harsh reality of the situation. The New Hampshire Motor Speedway playoff race only drew 1.29 million viewers. That number represented a significant decline and has become a symbol of NASCAR’s bigger problem with keeping fans interested during the postseason.
The viewership troubles extended beyond just New Hampshire. The World Wide Technology Raceway playoff race also struggled, drawing only 1.525 million viewers compared to 1.8 million the previous year for the same playoff round.
Bianchi admitted the viewership issues were real and concerning, but he maintained his stance that endlessly debating the format wouldn’t actually fix anything.
He argued that whether NASCAR went back to a traditional season-long championship or tried another variation, constantly discussing and changing the format wasn’t going to be the magic solution to the sport’s ratings struggles.
The tension highlights a growing divide between media personalities defending NASCAR’s current direction and fans increasingly fed up with a system many see as artificial and failing to deliver the excitement it promised.