Kevin Harvick has never shied away from calling out what he sees as flaws in NASCAR. As the playoffs are coming to an end with finals at Phoenix, the retired champion is turning his sharp eye to the format that often crowns surprise winners over consistent performers. With dominant performers this season in Trucks and Xfinity, Harvick argues the system tilts too far toward one big race, sidelining the grind of a constant performer. But Harvick’s recent take on ignoring consistency could erode the sport’s core appeal.

Take the Truck Series, where Corey Heim’s 11 wins have rewritten records, yet a single miscue at Phoenix could hand the title to someone else. Harvick’s pushback against a setup that rewards one-race wonders more than sustained excellence. As these storylines collide in the desert, Harvick’s bold stance is forcing a hard look at whether the playoffs truly honor the best.

Kevin Harvick slams playoff format as a consistency killer

On the latest Happy Hour with Kevin Harvick podcast, Harvick didn’t hold back about the Truck Series title fight. He zeroed in on Corey Heim’s breakout year with 11 wins, including a record of 1,527 laps led this season, just seven short of breaking Mike Skinner’s single-season record of 1,533 laps in 1996. And his 11th win at Martinsville also locked him into Phoenix against challengers like Ty Majeski, who’s reached the final four without a single checkered flag this season.

Meanwhile, Lane Riggs sits outside top-4 even with three wins. Harvick called it straight: “When you look at Cory Him’s stats compared to everybody else, if he doesn’t win this championship, it’s gonna be a nuclear meltdown if they don’t change the points…If Tyler Ankrum wins the championship and Corey Heim doesn’t, it’s embarrassing to the series.” This isn’t just being frustrated with the current playoff system; it’s a nod to how the elimination rounds can flip a dominant regular season based on just one race, much like when Riggs led early at Martinsville only to fade on a bad shift, costing him everything.

Harvick doubled down, questioning the whole setup. “We shouldn’t even call it playoffs, because we’re not playing anything,” he said, pushing for points to carry more weight across the full schedule. His complaint stems from years of watching the format evolve since its 2004 debut as the Chase, now expanded to 16 drivers but still coming down to four at Phoenix.

In Trucks, Heim‘s 18 top-fives and points lead suggest he’s champion material, yet Majeski’s zero wins but strong short-track prep could steal it all in one race. Harvick’s reality check targets those defending the system as pure excitement, urging a bigger sample size to avoid crowning underdogs who barely raced competitively all year.

Heim himself echoed similar frustration, stating, “You can kind of suck all year and bring your best truck to Phoenix and you can win the whole championship. It doesn’t matter how good you’ve been all year,” spotlighting Majeski as a threat despite no victories. His words hit hard after breaking Greg Biffle‘s 1999 record for most Truck wins in a season. Yet one wreck, as he noted, could erase all season’s grind, highlighting how the format punishes the reliable.

Denny Hamlin, a Cup contender himself, has piled on too. “It shouldn’t be so random,” Hamlin said recently, frustrated by chaos like engine failures or Talladega wrecks. Hamlin’s point supports Harvick’s point: without rewarding the whole season’s consistent grind, stars fade into unpredictability.

But while Trucks stirs this debate, the Xfinity finale brings its own twists worth unpacking.

Denny Hamlin makes his Xfinity four predictions

Denny Hamlin broke down the Xfinity Championship 4 with his usual no-nonsense edge on the Actions Detrimental podcast. He slotted Connor Zilisch at the top for raw speed, crediting the 19-year-old rookie’s 10 wins and 986 laps led in a breakout year.

Justin Allgaier followed closely, the defending champ with three victories and 973 laps led. Jesse Love edged Carson Kvapil thanks to his better Phoenix history and eight top-fives, while Kvapil’s zero wins left him playing catch-up in JR Motorsports’ lineup.

Hamlin didn’t stop at rankings. “Connor Zilisch, let’s just rank him at one. And then you got Justin Allgaier; that’s two. Based on speed all year, it’s 88, 7, 2, 1,” he said, nodding to car numbers and Zilisch’s No. 88 edge in metrics. This comes as Zilisch chases Rookie of the Year over Kvapil. Love, in his second full season with Richard Childress Racing, brings one Daytona win but needs more than last year’s Phoenix pace to contend.

For the win, Hamlin leaned on experience. “I’ll give the nod to Justin just based off of his car is gonna be just as prepared as the 88, he’s not gonna get beat on equipment. I believe this is where experience will benefit him well,” he predicted, recalling Allgaier’s runner-up position in last year’s finale that sealed the championship. With all these contenders for the title, Hamlin sees a tight battle, with Love lurking but Kvapil needing a miracle.