The debate around NASCAR’s playoff format has been a going on for a long while now. Some fans love the drama, but others especially the long time fans, aren’t convinced it’s the best way to crown a champion. And now, one of the most respected voices in the sport has stepped forward with a few thoughts of his own.
Mark Martin, who is considered to be one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR to not have won a championship title, recently opened up about what he feels is wrong with the current system. And he didn’t beat around the bush.
Mark Martin Criticizes Current Playoff Format
During a chat on the ‘Kenny Conversation’ podcast hosted by Kenny Wallace, Martin didn’t hesitate to point out a few problems with how champions are crowned these days. He used Joey Logano’s 2024 title run as the example.
According to Martin, Logano winning the whole thing with just one win in the entire normal season just felt off.
“Joey (Logano) being 20th-place in the points and winning the championship last year, that should’ve been the nail in the coffin for that playoff system, the one race thing,” Martin said.
“You know there’s debate whether it should be three races, or if it should be five. Still, most of the fans want 36. I would not bash NASCAR if they went to 10.”
“I think five is too little, I still don’t feel like it’s a large enough sample,” Martin added.
For Martin, that just doesn’t sit right. This is a guy who raced full-time in NASCAR’s top level for more than 30 years and finishing second in the standings five times. He knows the grind it takes to perform consistently all season long.
And to see someone win a singular race in the normal season and qualify for the playoffs, and further go on to win the championship title, doesn’t sit well with him.
Mark Martin Is Not Alone in His Criticism
Martin’s not the only one speaking up. Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently shared his own frustrations with the current playoff format. Shane van Gisbergen recently won in Mexico City and secured himself a playoff spot.
Earnhardt Jr. pointed that out and said that drivers need to be good on both road courses and ovals to be able to qualify for the playoff season, not just win a single race and do so.
Also Read: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Reveals Powerful Fix to NASCAR’s Flawed Playoff Format
Martin said he gets that NASCAR wants excitement and storylines. But he also believes that consistency and overall performance should matter a lot more than they currently do. He also spoke about the role of broadcast channels.
“Winning a race was a different kind of big deal back then,” Martin said. “And what I say is, TV people need to work harder. They need to change this to more traditional and stick with what we are and who we are to the core. TV needs to work harder to make it exciting.”
Whether NASCAR’s leadership will change anything remains to be seen. But with fans, drivers, and legends like Martin raising the same concerns over and over again, it might be time for a closer look at how the sport decides its title winner.
