NASCAR Fans Launch Into an Argument With Denny Hamlin’s Alternative Playoff Suggestion: “Chase Elliott More or Less Clinched Early”

Nov 16, 2022 | 5:33 AM EST

NASCAR Fans Launch Into an Argument With Denny Hamlin’s Alternative Playoff Suggestion: “Chase Elliott More or Less Clinched Early”

Nov 16, 2022 | 5:33 AM EST

Denny Hamlin has been one of the legends of NASCAR. Despite several close finishes over the years, he has never been able to win the title. Following the 2022 season’s closure, Hamlin proposed an alternative to the existing playoff procedure via Twitter. Fans soon rallied around Hamlin and pushed some of their own takes as well.

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Talking about the playoffs Hamlin suggested, “The round of 4 is great. I agree with@DaleJrthat it should be a larger sample size, however. 3 races to crown a champ. 12 total races in playoffs. Every race is important, no one will clinch early. The last race is still the championship.“

The “round of four” has got to go.
Time to get back to rewarding consistency throughout the season and playoffs.
As a fan watching it’s frustrating…as a driver I couldn’t imagine.
— 🄱🄰🄼🄰 Buddy 🏁 (@Bamabuddy5) November 16, 2022

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Fans react to Denny Hamlin’s playoff proposal

After hearing Hamlin’s alternative playoff strategy, most of the fans seemed to have agreed with Hamlin’s idea. Others suggested that there was more that could be done. On the other hand, there were also people who suggested that the playoffs should have never been implemented in the first place.

Chase Elliott more or less clinched early under the accord of not having a final 4 race off.
However had the final race been without a reset. It may of avoided any driver being knocked out through a mishap during the race.
Obviously all of this is hypothetical in any claim
— Christopher Herbert🇳🇿 (@thewowpoetnz) November 16, 2022

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The playoffs are exhaustingly long, I’d rather drop the round of 16 and get a few more regular season races.
— Kyle Jones (@Kyl3000) November 16, 2022

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I get the idea but I feel like it's just continuing to overcomplicate things. Since, at its core, the biggest thing I personally want answered is, are the playoffs necessary? Or rather, what is their primary objective and why is that objective good? IMO it feels cheaper than ever
— Alexander (@AlextheAdm1ral) November 16, 2022

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It feels like we've been digging this rabbit hole further and further every time the chase has been modified since 2004. At what point do we have to take a step back and wonder, is this the right path? Especially considering the lack of playoffs in all other motorsports
— Alexander (@AlextheAdm1ral) November 16, 2022

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I would think a format with 10 or 12 by eliminating half after 5 rounds would be the most fair although I’d rather have the full season. As much as I hate comparing to F1, if they can make a race like Mexico, COTA and Brazil important with no championship battle, NASCAR can too
— Wargiven27 (@WGiven27) November 16, 2022

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Sorry to sound like a boomer but I do like a no playoffs format and no stages. Makes those close years much much more memorable.
— Kevin Antink🇺🇦🐻⬇️ (@antink_kevin) November 16, 2022

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Nobody clinched early in the original Chase format either. To me that was the best middle ground, you had to be consistent enough to make it in and then be able to elevate your performance for 10 straight weeks. I don’t like locking in and taking races off.
— Harry Loomis (@HBLoomis) November 16, 2022

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One fan stated, “I would think a format with 10 or 12 by eliminating half after 5 rounds would be the most fair although I’d rather have the full season. As much as I hate comparing to F1, if they can make a race like Mexico, COTA and Brazil important with no championship battle, NASCAR can too.” On the other hand, a few other fans stated that the playoffs were already confusing enough and adding or editing it further would only bring in more and more confusion if nothing else.

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Would you agree with Denny Hamlin’s argument about the alternative to playoffs? Let us know in the comments section.

Written by

Srijan Mandal

1,061 Articles

Srijan Mandal is a NASCAR writer at EssentiallySports. With a Master's Degree in Journalism from a top institution, Srijan has written over 1000 articles across various platforms. His passion for racing began at a young age and has only grown stronger over time. From Formula 1 to NASCAR and from World Rally Championship to World Endurance Championship, Srijan has followed and studied all aspects of these thrilling sports. Srijan's passion for racing extends beyond writing. He is an avid participant in professional open-wheel sim racing and enjoys producing music, which he shares on popular streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music under the moniker "Lunaprism".

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Ankit Sharma