Years ago, NASCAR operated with a straight aggregate points system: drivers accumulated points across the season, and the highest total won. There were nuances in scoring and eligibility, but the champion was the best all-season driver. Just for one example, before 2004, the champion could be determined several races before the end.

But in 2004, NASCAR introduced what became known as the “Chase for the Cup,” the first real playoff-style shift. That change marked a turning point, and what the table highlights is the ‘what if’ world where that horizon wasn’t crossed.

What’s at the core of the backlash is the feeling that someone who may have scored the most points over 36 races lost the title because the rules turned into a playoff elimination. That table highlights seasons where the actual champion wasn’t necessarily the season-long top points earner.

Fans see it as unfair, or at least as a different kind of merit. According to one retrospective: “For years, NASCAR fans have complained about the playoffs and the fact that they effectively reduce the meaning of performing at a high level over the course of a 36-race season.”

Another layer is that NASCAR has changed not just the playoff format but the points scoring, the stage system, and how wins and bonus points factor in. The list of systems used over the years is long. When fans look at that table and think “if only NASCAR stuck with the full season points,” they’re referencing the idea that with 100% season-to-finish scoring, the result might have been different. The table plays to that ‘alternate universe’ notion.

It’s worth noting that NASCAR is still listening. Media reports say NASCAR executives see mixed feedback from fans about the playoff format; some love the drama, some hate that it seems to “reset” the season. The result: many fans don’t just want nostalgia, they want what they view as fairness.

They compare NASCAR’s system to other major motorsports, for instance, Formula 1, where entire seasons matter more. The comment about “they never needed to go with a playoff format” echoes this exact frustration.

That table triggered the reaction because it crystallises fans’ “what ifs”: what if the championship were purely cumulative, how many titles would certain drivers have, how differently history might look. The blend of nostalgia, perceived lost justice, and visible alternate outcomes makes for emotional fuel.

Fans on Reddit feel that it is unfair and do not believe it

Fan reactions

“As a Matt Kenseth fan, yes, I am pissed. I would have loved for him to be a two-time champ. Also, Jimmie Johnson wouldn’t be a 7-time champion.” For starters, Kenseth indeed won just one Cup championship, back in 2003, under the old “full-season points” system.

That 2003 title was historic in its own way, with Kenseth clinched it with only one victory but a tremendous level of consistency, 11 top-5s, 25 top-10s, under the Bob Latford points system. The fan’s “what-if” hinges on the idea that under a purely cumulative-points system, no playoffs, Kenseth might have had more opportunities, maybe a second title, and that Johnson’s tally could have been lower if history had stayed that way.

In fact, analyses of “what if points only” suggest Jeff Gordon might have reached seven instead of Johnson; Johnson himself might have ended with fewer titles if the format had never changed. So the emotion is real: many fans feel the format change shifted legacies, not just numbers.

“Rational me: No. Everything would be different if they were knowingly racing under a different system. Irrational me: 4 TIME CHAMP KEVIN HARVICK!” This comment admits the rational side, yes, changing the system alters what the drivers prepared for, but also the emotional side: missing out on the idea that a driver like Kevin Harvick might’ve ended up with four championships under a full-season points system.

Harvick won the Cup championship once, in 2014, under the playoff era. “Four-time champ Harvick” comes from those alternate-universe tables folks publish showing what the champions would’ve been if NASCAR stuck with straight points. One such table lists Harvick with four titles in that scenario. The fan’s balancing act is real: acknowledging perhaps the system changed the game, but still grieving what might have been.

“Not really, because in the end, I didn’t make any money from this, it didn’t change my life. We have Joey Logano, who is a great champion, Kyle Larson, and Martin Truex Jr. still got their rightful titles, Kyle Busch got 2 that he didn’t deserve that year, but clearly would have won two anyway.”

This comment is a mix of detachment, “I didn’t win anything”, and acknowledgement. The fan admits that while format changes bother them, the winners still matter, and some titles they view as “rightful”, Truex Jr., 2017 champ, and Larson, 2021 champ, got theirs outright under the playoff system.

Meanwhile, Kyle Busch won championships in 2015 and 2019; these wins came under the playoff system, and the fan says “didn’t deserve that year,” reflecting fan-disagreement with the system, though they concede Busch “would have won two anyway.” It speaks to the complexity of emotions: some fans accept the system but still gripe with specific instances or perceived injustices.

“Jeff Gordon as the 3rd 7-time would’ve been so much better than wet napkin Jimmie lol.” This one is very much rooted in the “alternate champions by points” conversation. Gordon actually won four Cup championships, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2001, under the full-season system. Later, the playoff era allowed Johnson to collect seven championships, 2006-10, 2013, 2016, under that new format.

In the table of “what if only points mattered”, the suggestion is Gordon could have been a seven-time champ while Jimmie Johnson’s number might have been lower. The fan’s derisive term “wet napkin Jimmie” signals resentment, suggesting they believe Gordon’s era was purer, or the format under which Johnson earned titles was somehow less legitimate. It’s a raw emotional reaction, and the statistics of championships support why the comment takes that tone.

“Joey Logano title less and Bell 2X champ. Hell yeahhh, I’ll drink to that.” Here, the fan imagines a scenario where Joey Logano comes up short and another driver gets more titles. Currently, Logano has won three Cup championships, in 2018, 2022, and 2024, under the playoff system.

The fan’s “drink to that” comment is reveling in a revisionist version of history, one where their preferred driver gets more acclaim and someone else, Logano, doesn’t. It’s part celebration and part “what if” fantasy grounded in the discussion of format changes and outcomes.