NASCAR’s flawed playoff system takes the fun out of underdog wins

Trevor Bayne. Justin Haley. Derrike Cope. Daytona presents a prime opportunity for underdog victories. And Saturday's Coke Zero Sugar 400 gave a chance for another one of those shocking moments for the likes of Haley, Cole Custer, Erik Jones and more.

But as I was watching the thrilling last laps unfold, I found myself rooting against the upset, and was ultimately happy with a Ryan Blaney victory (and I do not root for the guy!).

And the reason why is NASCAR's playoff system.

'Win and you're in' playoff system boots deserving drivers for first-round exits

The current NASCAR playoff system brings 16 drivers into the postseason, allowing all winners in, and then the remaining spots not earned by wins goes by points.

In 2025, NASCAR Cup saw 14 different winners coming into the regular season finale, meaning two spots were up for grabs on points — or just one single spot if a new winner crossed the line first at Daytona.

Those two drivers who got in on points were Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman. Reddick is having a bit of a down year after taking three wins and a final round appearance in 2024. But even without a win, Reddick sat seventh in overall points coming into the night. Bowman, also winless, was ninth with 14 top 10s, tied for second-most among Cup drivers.

These two drivers, who have the skill and machinery to actually compete for a title, had a chance to be bumped from a postseason chance if any winless driver got to victory lane Saturday night. Chris Buescher was already out of the playoffs despite a 10th place finish in overall points on the regular season.

Of course, you can say "well they should've won a race" and that's all well and good. But these are still three guys who combined for 36 top 10s. They are competitors who can perform each week.

NASCAR looking for a 'walk-off' moment ends up just being a waste of time

With a track where the nature of superspeedway racing can produce wild wins ending the Cup regular season, NASCAR is openly asking for someone to sneak in the back door of the playoffs (see: Austin Dillon, 2022).

And of course that is exciting and produces great moment potential for mid-pack teams. But it's all at the expense of a better field for the playoffs.

Daytona isn't the only track guilty of this, it's the whole schedule — Daytona just has a list of circumstances that make the issue of this playoff format the most glaring.

Yes, Custer, Haley, Suarez, heck last-place Cody Ware (leader of 23 laps on Saturday!), could win and punch their ticket to the playoffs, and that's incredible and a highlight for the sport and these teams and drivers. But it makes the product for the next 10 weeks worse.

If Custer finishes off a win at Daytona, Bowman is gone from the playoffs, while every soul, even Custer himself, knows he's not winning a title. So what's the point?

NASCAR is taking a moment of glory and hoisting that up for a week in a move that ultimately makes the postseason worse! "Win and in" is a short-term gain, but long-term pointless.

A host of underperformers weaken the playoff roster in 2025

Let me first say that anything could happen once the playoffs get going. So who goes to the second round isn't a sure thing, ever.

But when you glance at this field, there is such a stark power gap in it.

Austin Dillon did win on pure pace in Richmond (how on earth he did is another story), but he finished the regular season in 26th on points. Shane van Gisbergen mastered the road course and he should be lauded for that, but he ended up 25th overall, and has no road courses in the opening round to save him (but his playoff points could, which is another issue for another day). Josh Berry put together a masterful win at Vegas that he earned — but has just three top 10s since then. Austin Cindric finished in a respectable 15th on the regular season, but he only had five top 10s, which is the third-lowest of all drivers who finished in the top 27.

The wins of these guys should not be diminished! They all deserve their moment for their day. But if they can barely do anything else the rest of the season, why do we want them racing for a title that they will not win?

And yes, I say that without fear of being wrong because despite this being a system that allowed an incredibly uninspiring 2024 season for Joey Logano to turn into a title, this crop doesn't have that ability and/or machinery right now.

So when Ryan Blaney, a champion and superspeedway master, is fighting with a host of underdogs, I'd love to root for the Haas driver, the Spire driver, the Legacy driver. But I simply do not want to waste my time with them vying for a title.

NASCAR gives us a system where they'd rather have Dillon and Custer in a title "hunt" instead of Buescher and Bowman.

Whether you want a return to a full season points method, a version of the "Chase for the Cup" where the playoffs are a 10-week run without eliminations, or something else, NASCAR needs to understand this if they do go back to the drawing board: We can both amazing wins and a stacked playoff fight. We don't have to sacrific one for the other.