The NASCAR playoff format has been a lightning rod for debate, and few have been as vocal as Denny Hamlin. He’s called it a “lottery,” arguing that one wreck or pit mistake in the finale can erase a season’s worth of dominance. Look at his own career: in 2010, before the current elimination setup, Hamlin led most of the year but lost the title in the final race. Under the modern system, he’s faced even tougher breaks, like 2019 when a pit-road flub at Homestead snatched away his championship shot. For Hamlin, the idea that a single bad moment can outweigh months of excellence just doesn’t sit right.

Kevin Harvick’s 2020 season is the poster child for the format’s flaws. He racked up nine wins, owned the regular season, and still missed the Championship 4 after a rough Martinsville race in the Round of 8. Harvick himself said it “didn’t add up,” and fans still bring it up as proof the system can rob the best driver of a title shot. Even Kyle Larson, who crushed it in 2021 with ten wins and a championship, felt the sting in 2022 when he didn’t make the Championship 4 despite multiple victories. He called it “brutal,” knowing his team’s strength wasn’t enough to overcome the playoff gauntlet.

Now, just days before the 2025 playoffs kick off at Darlington, another title contender has dropped a bombshell that, “The champions of today are not viewed the same as the champions in the past.” It’s a bold call-out, and it’s got the NASCAR world buzzing about whether the playoff system needs a serious overhaul.

Bell believes it’s time for a change

Recently on The Teardown podcast, Christopher Bell didn’t hold back, “I think it would put more legitimacy behind the champion and you know I just I think it’s fair to say that the champions of today are not viewed the same as the champions in the past. And the way that we’re going to get back to there is by adding more races to crown a champion. … The more races that you add to crown that champion the more legitimate it’s going to be.” Bell’s hitting on a sore spot that’s been debated since NASCAR rolled out the playoff format in 2004.

The current setup puts everything on the line in one race, the Championship 4 finale at Phoenix, where a single crash or pit miscue can undo a year’s work. Look at 2024 when Joey Logano won the title with just one race win and a 17.1 average finish, the highest ever for a modern-era champion. Compare that to legends like Jeff Gordon or Dale Earnhardt, who earned their crowns through season-long dominance. Bell’s point is clear: more races in the title fight would make champions feel more legit, like the icons of old.

Bell went deeper, laying out his ideal vision, “Me personally I would like to have 36 races count towards the champion and I think that’s how you get a champion of the sport in auto racing. Now you know people are going to say football does it, basketball does it. Absolutely basketball has seven games. Football is a Super Bowl but basketball is seven games. And yeah I think you got to have more than one and if you’re going to have a champion of auto racing, it needs to be a full race schedule. But that’s here nor there. And I understand the playoff format … it’s more entertaining and the elimination style creates big moments in our sport so you know if that’s what we all agree upon then let’s do it.”

He’s got a point as basketball crowns champs through a seven-game series, letting the best team prove it multiple times, while NASCAR’s one-race finale can feel like a coin toss. The old points system rewarded consistency, like Tony Stewart in 2002 or Dale Earnhardt in 1994, who locked up titles early through sheer dominance. But Bell gets why the playoffs exist. Moments like Ross Chastain’s “Hail Melon” wall ride at Martinsville in 2022 keep fans glued to their screens. Still, he’s pushing for a balance that keeps the drama but rewards a season’s worth of hustle.

Bell and playoff stars shine in NASCAR 25 game

In a fun twist, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, and Christopher Bell are the cover athletes for the upcoming NASCAR 25 video game, set to drop on October 14. It’s the first NASCAR console game since NASCAR 21: Ignition in 2021, with pre-orders opening in mid-September. Byron, who’s been killing it in 2025 as the regular season champ, couldn’t hide his excitement at the Daytona unveilin, “It’s really special. That’s how I got started, through gaming, and then iRacing down the road. I don’t think as a kid, I would have ever dreamed I’d be on the cover of a video game, so this is a very, very kind of out-of-body experience.”

The game’s got it all: Cup Series, Xfinity, Truck Series, ARCA, plus career, quick race, and championship modes, and a 40-player multiplayer option. It’s the first console title by iRacing, and Byron’s already played some early builds, “I think the game’s gonna be really exciting. I had a chance to play some of the gameplay over the last couple months, and I’m looking forward to it. iRacing has done a lot of work with it.”

While Bell’s dropping truth bombs about the playoff format, he’s also front and center with Byron and Blaney in this gaming milestone. It’s a cool moment for a guy who’s not just racing for a title but fighting for what a championship should mean.  The timing of his statement, right before Darlington, is pure NASCAR drama, and it’s got everyone talking about what a “real” champion looks like.