Brad Keselowski now needs to tame the fire he started. Ever since the beginning, the 41-year-old driver has been against the elimination-style playoff debate. With increasing calls for the return of the 36-race championship, Brad Keselowski understands the reasoning. A champion who has won in the Chase era, Keselowski believes he sees the direction NASCAR should take moving forward in 2025.

Ever since Mike Forde, NASCAR’s Director of Communications, revealed that the playoff committee will be making changes to the current elimination-style format, the fans and drivers alike have been going berserk. But with his comments generating a lot of talk, taking away from the current playoff format, the 41-year-old comes in to defend the season.

Brad Keselowski calls for an all-in approach for this year’s playoff format

Taking to X, the 41-year-old went off. He wrote, “To be clear. The question here is why so many people have been talking about this lately. This is not to take away from the current format in 2025. As a sport, I feel we need to be all in on this year’s champion and format. Imho: The path forward needs to be an offseason discourse.” 

Brad Keselowski reasons that one must enjoy the season as is without hyping up or worrying too much about the future. Sure, the 2025 playoff format has generated a lot of backlash, but this very debate takes away the charm of this year’s championship. And that is exactly why Mike Forde announced that the final 2026 playoff format will only be revealed after the 2025 season ends early in November. But Keselowski’s passionate claims are what blew up the internet.

Previously, Keselowski said, “If you look at this sport holistically, NASCAR was built on the concept of races connected with a championship – and it has shifted to a sport that is now a championship connected by races… We need 38 big events. That’s what this sport needs to endure for generations to come, and the best opportunity for that is in a season-long format that is a series of races connected by a championship, rather than a championship connected by a series of races.”

Sure, the 36-race championship does eliminate the winner-take-all formula that the elimination playoff style currently has, and it also rewards consistent drivers, but not everyone is on board. Joey Logano has always stood by the current playoff format and has highlighted that it creates drama, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

After his Charlotte Roval run, the 35-year-old said, “The playoffs create drama. It creates storylines. It creates awesome moments like that. I don’t understand what people don’t like about it. I really don’t get it. I preach that all the time. I’m not just saying that because it works for us. I’m saying it because it’s true.” With Roger Penkse’s team talking about the potential change, they do not completely dismiss this year’s playoff format.

But Brad definitely doesn’t see it the same way. Just two weeks ago, the RFK Racking driver shared his brutal opinion about the current playoff format, calling it “a net loss for this sport.” But with patience and time, NASCAR can hopefully deliver to the fans and drivers what they need.

What started with Mark Martin tweeting has turned into a legitimate position. It seemed impossible just two years ago; now it feels like it is on the cusp of breaking through. As NASCAR veterans like Dale Junior have been pushing for the old format to return, Kenny Wallace is joining the revolution with a new idea.

Kenny Wallace has suggestions up his sleeve for the 2026 playoff format

Kenny Wallace, a longtime critic of NASCAR’s current playoff format, has proposed an alternative if the sport doesn’t revert to the old Chase format. On the Herm & Schrader podcast, the NASCAR veteran said he would keep most of the postseason structure intact but change one key element: the championship should be decided over three races instead of one.

Wallace explained, “My opinion is that they leave everything alone. But instead of one race determining the championship, I think it should be three races.”

He argues that a single race finale creates too much randomness, diminishing the value of consistent performance throughout the season. By extending the title battle over three races, Wallace believes NASCAR could achieve a fairer and more representative outcome. But only anxiety grows within the NASCAR community as the playoff committee takes its time, ensuring that the format for next year meets the expectations of all the stakeholders. And now that pressure falls squarely on NASCAR.