If you spend five minutes scrolling NASCAR social media, it’s clear the sport has no shortage of opinions. And most of them are loud! Fans argue about everything, from the rising cost of race weekends to whether the playoff format actually rewards a full season’s worth of work. Officiating gets questioned weekly, and the business side of NASCAR (TV windows, schedules, and track time) often feels disconnected from what fans want in the stands.

One of the biggest flashpoints right now? Limited practice on the NASCAR schedule. While many fans are begging for longer sessions, a FOX analyst just pushed back, explaining why the “simple fix” isn’t so simple. And why NASCAR keeps leaning toward one big race weekend model. Here’s what he had to say.

Bob Pockrass pushes back as fans demand longer practice sessions

It started with a blunt, familiar frustration from fans online: “Ugh, we need 1 hour practices at every track.” Simple request. Or at least, it sounds that way. But FOX Sports analyst Bob Pockrass wasn’t fully on board with the idea that longer practice automatically fixes NASCAR’s race weekend issues.

Pockrass didn’t dismiss the complaint outright. In fact, he agreed in principle. But with conditions. His point was that an hour-long Cup Series practice only makes sense if teams are allowed to make meaningful changes afterward. Otherwise, it’s just cars circling the track for data that can’t be fully used.

That, in turn, would require pre-qualifying tech inspections, more staffing, and a longer, more expensive schedule. Something he said he’d personally, but acknowledged NASCAR has clearly moved away from. That context matters because NASCAR already adjusted its practice and qualifying format for 2025, and that structure is carrying over into 2026.

Under the NASCAR schedule, Cup Series teams receive 25-minute practice sessions split between Group 1 and Group 2, totaling 50 minutes of on-track time. It’s not the hour fans want, but it’s the balance NASCAR has settled on. Interestingly, Xfinity and Truck Series teams get a different deal.

Those series aren’t split into groups and instead receive a full 50-minute practice session outright. This is something Pockrass highlighted as especially valuable for younger drivers who need reps more than simulation data. From NASCAR’s perspective, the benefits of limited practice are hard to ignore.

It streamlines the weekend into a clean flow: tech inspection, practice and qualifying, impound, then race day. It fits neatly into a 90-to-120-minute TV window, saves teams money on tires and parts, and reduces wear on already tight budgets, especially for smaller operations.

The trade-off? Less track time for fans in the stands and fewer laps for drivers still learning. And that’s where the NASCAR schedule debate refuses to die.

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Bob Pockrass shuts down full-season NASCAR schedule hopes

Few topics ignite NASCAR fans quite like the playoff format. For years, critics have argued that the system punishes consistency and overvalues chaos, often sidelining the driver who dominated the bulk of the season in favor of a single, winner-take-all finale. The frustration only grows when a season-long standout watches a title slip away because of one bad race in November. It’s why calls for a return to a 36-race points format never really go away.

Heading into 2026, those calls briefly felt louder than usual. NASCAR executives openly acknowledged discussions around potential playoff tweaks, with managing director of racing communications Mike Forde offering a telling update at the end of the 2025 season.

“Where it stands right now… I don’t think the playoff committee is going to meet again. I think we have gotten all the feedback that we needed from them. Awesome job, by the way, from the playoff committee. … Now, it’s in NASCAR’s hands,” Forde revealed.

Yet here’s the reality check: the 2026 season is just over a month away, and NASCAR has made no official announcement regarding the NASCAR schedule, suggesting a format overhaul. That silence speaks volumes. Bob Pockrass removed any lingering doubt. The longtime FOX analyst made it clear that a full-season championship simply isn’t happening.

“I’ve said all along I don’t think NASCAR will go to a 36-race full-season format. I think NASCAR likes at least one-time reset and the ability for more drivers to have a shot over the last couple of months. Also with reset, less incentive during regular season to race hurt for a race or two,” Pockrass tweeted, effectively shutting the door on fan hopes.

Coming from a veteran analyst with deep ties to the garage, the message is blunt: NASCAR values parity, late-season drama, and strategic resets more than purity of points. For better or worse, the playoff era isn’t going anywhere.