NASCAR’s marathon schedule with 36 points-paying races across a globe-spanning calendar is as much a test of endurance as skill. Drivers like Chase Elliott have called the regular-season “stale,” while Denny Hamlin has openly grumbled about burnout, with Hamlin once saying, “certainly not 36 or 38” when asked about adding more races to the slate. The relentless travel, from the In-Season Tournament to midweek events, often blurs into a blur of pit strategies, hotel wake-ups, and incremental changes to the same setups. It often dampens the initial thrill that kickstarts every February opener, no matter how thrilling the Clash at Daytona may be. But when the calendar finally resets and playoffs loom, everything changes.

Enter the playoffs, a high-stakes sprint where every lap is magnified, every point hammered home. NASCAR’s elimination structure now places 16 drivers into a nail-biting 10-race showdown that starts with Darlington’s Cook Out Southern 500 and runs through Phoenix. The drama rewinds the fatigue; suddenly, the sport snaps back to life, and every move matters from stage points to must-win night. That intensity resets the driver’s focus, reenergizes teams, and forces fans to lean forward. And for Chase Elliott, that electric shift is what gives NASCAR its heartbeat.

Why Chase Elliott says NASCAR’s playoff races are the only time the sport still sparks

In a recent interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Chase Elliott reflected on the energy of NASCAR’s playoff stretch and why the late-season intensity revives his passion. As one of the sport’s most consistent performers, he explained what truly fuels the fire. “For me personally, I think throughout my career, it’s just always been a really easy time to get really excited about the season,” Elliott reflected. “The season is so long for us that, but it’s easy to get into that lull, and part of the season becomes stale. Not that you’re not trying or not that you’re not putting in the effort or not that you don’t enjoy going, but it’s got a different vibe to it.” The quieter stretch earlier this year mirrors seasons past, when races like Kansas or Charlotte felt repetitive until a bold move or late race mishap shook things up. His honesty resonates especially in 2025, where despite staying consistent with seven top-10s through the first 13 races he remained winless, with his last victory dating back to April 2024 at Texas Motor Speedway.

That flat zone has to be reckoned with mentally before the ramp-up. “And for me, those last 10, feel like the sport should feel to me. I get that this is what sports in the fall and the playoffs should feel like,” he continued. When the playoffs arrive, NASCAR transforms. Dropping from winnerless momentum to cracking the top-16, there’s a palpable electricity. It is an experience Elliott has lived. Remember his Atlanta win, snapped in his hometown in June 2025, that finally ended the drought and injected belief straight into this team. But his 26th and 38th-place finishes at Watkins Glen and Richmond, respectively, have shifted the momentum for the Hendrick Motorsports driver just weeks before the playoffs.

“It just makes it really easy to get up and get excited and get fired up and do your homework and, everything else, just because what’s on the line,” he confessed. “Something’s on the line every week and you’re getting down to it.” For drivers like Elliott, the playoff gauntlet is both motivation and focus. Effort crystallizes into precision, including setup work, driver fitness, and mental prep intensifies. As of late spring, Elliott stood fourth in the standings with no wins, yet maintained a streak of finishing in the top 20 in every race through 17 starts. This illustrates how the playoff mindset triggers maximal effort.

The clarity of winning or going home is the glorious pressure of playoff racing. “It’s either go big and make it happen or don’t, and it’s totally in your hands, whether or not that happens,” he added. “And I love that. So that’s why I love the last 10, just because I think it brings a level of excitement that we all need and, that I think is healthy to have.” Every driver feels it near season’s end. Elliott’s own playoff journey has hinged on such moments. In the past season, making or breaking at tracks like Talladega or Darlington was often out of his hands, and packed racing made it unplanned. Now, with NASCAR’s restructured system and a Next Gen era leveling competition, it is more about execution.

He further added, “And, when we have that type of intensity and something’s late on the line every weekend, I think it’s just a better environment to watch and be a part of and all the above.” Fans have also recalled the spring’s grid, but the atmosphere of chanting pit walls, radio crackle, and championship hopes should peak now. Elliott’s win at Atlanta, after a 44-race winless streak, delivered energy-packed, regenerative, and precisely timed momentum shift as the finale of the regular season approached. His words echo that truth: playoff NASCAR isn’t just a competition, it is a sport at its purest form.

Chase Elliott’s honest take on NASCAR’s lingering schedule dilemma

At most NASCAR weekends, drivers lean into optimism, hyping up their teams and talking about momentum. But when Elliott was asked about the possibility of returning to one of stock car racing’s most historic venues, the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway, his tone was less promotional and more reflective. The Fairgrounds, with more than a century of racing history, remains a fan-favorite dream for a Cup Series comeback, representing the tradition and identity that built NASCAR’s foundation. “I would love to have a race at the fairgrounds… It’s probably the coolest short track in America, and maybe even the world,” Elliott said.

Yet, when pressed on how encouraged he was about the Fairgrounds’ return, Elliott revealed growing frustration with the lack of movement. “It’s been nothing but a conversation in the past number of years… I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t giving up a little bit of hope,” he admitted. For a Cup champion and one of the sport’s most popular drivers, this wasn’t dismissal but a reality check. Despite proposals dating back to 2019, the project remains tied up in political hurdles, neighborhood concerns, and financial red tape.

Still, Elliott’s words carried the weight of a racer speaking for grassroots fans as much as himself. “I don’t know how many battles they’re having to fight… and I’m certainly not in tune with the politics enough to know,” he explained. His plea boiled down to something almost poetic in its modesty: “Just give it one fair shot… one Saturday night Cup race in the middle of the summer.” It’s a call that underscored the ongoing tension in NASCAR between preserving heritage and pursuing bold new frontiers.