Kevin Harvick Reflects on NASCAR’s Single-Race Title Decider Format
NASCAR Cup Series veteran Kevin Harvick recently shared his thoughts on the glaring issue with the sport’s current championship-deciding format—a single race that ultimately determines the title. Harvick pointed out how a driver can have the “greatest year” of anyone in the field, yet still lose the championship due to one moment or situation during the final event.
This year’s championship weekend was filled with heartbreaks across NASCAR’s top series. Corey Heim managed to come away unscathed but had a close call in the Truck Series championship. His team’s late-race pit stop strategy paid off, securing his path to victory. Unfortunately, not all drivers were as fortunate.
Denny Hamlin’s No. 11 team gambled on fresh tires with just two laps remaining but ended up stuck in traffic, costing him the title. Meanwhile, Connor Zilisch couldn’t match the pace of champion Jesse Love and ultimately fell short. All three drivers were the winningest contenders in their respective series, but only Heim emerged victorious.
Even Heim’s triumph came after a long battle. Despite winning six races in 2024, he finished second in the standings in several prior seasons—most notably after Ty Majeski dominated the finale to snatch the title. The TRICON Garage driver’s persistence finally paid off this year.
On the latest episode of the Happy Hour podcast, Harvick addressed the pressure and flaws inherent in the playoff format:
“That’s one of the biggest flaws of the whole system, right? Like, you can have the greatest year of anybody in the field and still lose, you know, just off of one moment or one situation or one scenario. That’s the part that sucks when you’ve kicked their a** all year. So that’s a lot of pressure and having to deal with that pressure is difficult.” [43:56 onwards]
Dale Earnhardt Jr. also weighed in on Hamlin’s heartbreaking title loss, calling it “excruciating to watch.” He emphasized that this was Hamlin’s best shot at the championship yet, making the defeat even more painful.
Harvick Believes There Is a Middle Ground for the Championship Format
During the same Happy Hour episode, Kevin Harvick touched on the shortcomings of both the current playoff system and the traditional full-season points format. The previous points system allowed a dominant driver to clinch the title well before the season ended, which led to the introduction of “The Chase” in 2004 to maintain excitement by keeping more drivers in contention for longer.
With NASCAR set to overhaul the playoffs next year, Harvick offered his perspective on finding balance between the two systems:
“This is a tough situation because of the fact that people were tired of the old system because people were winning by too much. Now we’re tired of the point system because of the fact that it comes down to one race. I truly believe there’s a balance in the middle.” [12:28 onwards]
Chase Elliott has also voiced his opinion on the matter, siding with the full-season points format. He believes that when a driver runs away with the title through consistent performance, it should be celebrated rather than criticized.
As NASCAR continues to evolve its championship structure, drivers and fans alike hope for a format that rewards consistency over the entire season while still delivering thrilling, competitive finales.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/nascar/news-kevin-harvick-delivers-blunt-verdict-one-biggest-flaws-nascar-s-whole-system
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