What is happening?
During Tuesday’s episode of Clear Door BumperA NASCAR insider has presented a hypothetical playoff format that now has NASCAR fandom wondering if his suggestions are actual changes NASCAR could make to its playoff system.
Through all the topics discussed in the NASCAR community, NASCAR’s current playoff system has by far been the story of the 2026 season.
The topic of changing the format of the playoffs stemmed from last fall, in which Joey Logano won an improbable championship while maintaining the 13th best average in the series and an elimination overturned by disqualification.
Although NASCAR has not promised changes to the format, the sport has taken steps to change the system by forming a committee to discuss potential changes. Despite the fact that there are no guarantees, fans have clung to the rumors or talked about a change.
A version of the format that swept the fandom came from this week’s episode of Clear Door Bumperwhich featured NASCAR insider Jordan Bianchi of Athletics as a guest host.
A hypothetical format
During a playoff conversation with fellow host Austin Cindric, Bianchi asked Cindric what he thought about a hypothetical and somewhat detailed playoff format for 2026.
Bianchi asked: “Hypothetically speaking, if there was a championship round consisting of, say, four races, would that make it more acceptable to the drivers? »
That alone didn’t raise many questions from his co-hosts, as the increase in the number of races that decide the championship is often the main point of the playoff debate.
But the veteran writer, with a smile on his face, then began to “spit out” some details, saying that this hypothetical format suggested that the playoffs be reduced to three rounds (instead of the current four), with the first and second rounds consisting of three races and the final of four.
This time, the added details raised questions among his co-hosts, with Bianchi saying that “I’m just coming up with ideas.” As the topic has slowly died down, Dirty Mo Media has fanned the flames of this topic with the wording of the following post about X.
The idea of expanding the final round is strongly supported by fans who like the current system but would also like changes, the idea being that a larger sample size across multiple tracks could decide the champion.
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Expanding the final round
Some NASCAR fans and drivers, like Austin Cindric, support the current playoff format, while others, including some outspoken drivers in the garage, would like a return to the full 10-race Chase or the full 36-race season. Although some members of the playoff committee, like Jeff Gluck of The Athletic, argued that a multi-race final round seemed to be the most realistic change to the system..
Of course, Bianchi’s suggestion doesn’t stray much from the idea of expanding the final round, with most suggesting a three-race final round or a five-race final round as a fun compromise for those who want to see more races to decide the champion.
Notably, this hypothetical format mirrors comments last week from Dale Earnhardt Jr., a long-suspected member of NASCAR’s playoff committee, who claimed on his podcast Download The Dale Jr. that he thinks the changes to the current system will result in a 3-4 race final.
As expected, in response to this episode of DBC, Bianchi’s comments received some pushback, with Hall of Famer Mark Martin, a strong supporter of full season points, publication on“Why is @Jordan_Bianchi trying so hard to push the playoffs when the majority of fans don’t want it.”
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Looking to the future
So, is Bianchi’s hypothetical format the answer?
Right now, there’s no way to know. NASCAR has yet to announce any changes to the system for 2026, with NASCAR officials publicly stating they think the sport could wait another season if they haven’t made a decision yet.
Of course, that time frame doesn’t mean the system won’t change, as even NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell recently suggested trying different formats in the two lower NASCAR National series in 2026.
Still, the countdown to the end of the 2025 season sets a clear timeline for NASCAR to make a final decision ahead of the impending season.
What is happening? During a recent interview, NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell claimed that NASCAR’s search for a new playoff format is ongoing…
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