Steve O’Donnell didn’t hold back when he joined the Dale Jr. Download this week. NASCAR’s President shared a thought that’s been echoing across the garage for years: the playoff format might be hurting the sport’s biggest stars. “I don’t want the next Christopher Bell, who’s 10 years old right now, thinking about NASCAR and saying, ‘Huh, this is a little bit more of a chance on a one race, right?’” O’Donnell said.

His comment struck a nerve with fans and insiders alike, reigniting the debate over whether NASCAR’s playoff system rewards chaos over consistency. And when NASCAR’s Managing Director for Racing Communications, Mike Forde, weighed in on the issue, his surprising confession took the discussion in an unexpected direction.

Can NASCAR’s playoff drama create new legends?

Mike Forde’s recent comments on the Door Bumper Clear podcast illuminate a growing debate: NASCAR’s single-race championship finale makes it “hard to have a Jimmie Johnson again.” Johnson’s record, five straight titles (2006–2010), came under the old ‘Chase’ format, which rewarded consistency and resilience across ten pressure-filled playoff races. Today, a season can be decided by one race among four drivers.

Forde agrees with Steve O’Donnell’s point.

Sustained dominance is nearly impossible now. Even spectacular seasons (like Kevin Harvick’s nine wins in 2020 or Kyle Larson’s five wins last year) can be derailed by one mishap during the playoffs, robbing superstars of dynasty potential and limiting the sport’s ability to build all-time icons.

Forde himself admits his views on the playoff system have evolved. “At the beginning of the year, I would have said, ‘No, I think we need a playoff.’ After hearing a lot of discussions and arguments for it, I think my mind has changed. I think Charlotte was way more interesting because of the playoffs.”

At the recent Charlotte Roval, the looming threat of elimination led to cutthroat racing for survival. Drivers like Joey Logano and Ross Chastain battled for their playoff lives, with chaos erupting on the final lap. Without playoffs, fights like that for the playoff spots, vital for narratives and ratings, would rarely matter as much.

Ultimately, the playoff format delivers high-stakes moments, ensuring drama to the very end. But the risk is that it rewards chaos, not year-long excellence, possibly threatening the emergence of future legends. As NASCAR weighs tweaks to its championship structure, the pressure mounts: can they find the right balance between drama, fairness, and true superstar legacy?

NASCAR’s playoff system faces possible overhaul for 2026

As debate swirls around NASCAR’s playoff format, discussions about a dramatic overhaul (or even scrapping the postseason entirely) have gained traction for 2026. Industry leaders openly acknowledge that the one-race, winner-take-all finale heightens drama but sometimes diminishes season-long excellence and legacy-building.

This tension has fueled a serious reexamination of how the sport crowns its champion. Among the proposals on the table is a return to a full-season points system, used until 2003, or at least a longer multi-race championship showdown, like the original Chase that balanced drama with consistency. NASCAR executives are listening.

NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell weighed in, saying, “Whoever wins that championship, I’m going to stand behind them and say that’s our champion… But here’s what gets me to think about it: Christopher Bell… If I roll off 10 wins in a year, and I go to (a) one-race (championship), and a couple other guys get into me, I’m not the champion.” O’Donnell emphasized that the future format must reward long-term top performance as well as create exciting moments.

Committee discussions have welcomed input from legendary figures as well. Seven-time champion Richard Petty, advocating for a return to the old format, argued, “With a full season of 36 races, the championship should accurately reflect the top performer across all those events. If you run all those 36, who’s the best of those 36? They should be the champion.”

Drivers such as Ryan Blaney and Brad Keselowski echoed those sentiments, with Blaney stating, “I kind of like a change. I think you can put a bunch more emphasis on points. You have to have some consistency.”

Although NASCAR executives remain noncommittal, stating no format will be finalized until after 2025, the very real prospect of a seismic shift by 2026 reflects a “remarkable shift” for the sport.

Whether the committee chooses to scrap the playoffs, revert to a classic points chase, or land somewhere in between, the coming months promise a pivotal moment for stock car racing’s future.