Often one of NASCAR’s most outspoken critics, Denny Hamlin – perhaps surprisingly – is giving the sport’s new championship format for its top three stock-car divisions a big thumbs-up.
The format, which puts more emphasis on consistency than the championship structure in place from 2014-2025, does away with playoff rounds, playoff points and the Championship 4.
It also no longer all but guarantees that every race winner in the regular season gets a spot in the playoffs, which will now be known as The Chase, as it was in the early years of the original Cup Series playoff adopted in 2004.
Denny Hamlin Applauds NASCAR For New Championship Format
Denny Hamlin, of course, has come painfully close to winning the championship under both the most recent format (remember last season?) and the “new” format, which feels a lot like the one used in the Cup Series from 2004-2013.
In any case, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and co-owner of 23XI Racing alongside NBA legend Michael Jordan supports the changes NASCAR has made in how it will crown the champion of its Cup Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) Series and Craftsman Truck Series beginning this year.
And earlier this week at Bowman Gray Stadium, site of Wednesday night’s preseason exhibition race, Hamlin made his opinion on the matter vividly clear.
“Seems like the bulk of the offseason was, from what I could see, NASCAR undoing some of the direction they had gone the last decade or so,” Hamlin said of the revised championship format. “I feel like The Chase is a very good compromise for all the stakeholders.
“And I certainly feel like, if anything, it’s a benefit for your top competitors who are the challengers week in and week out.”
Denny Hamlin Keen On Points Separation The Chase Format Will Provide
The original Chase – the one that debuted in 2004 – featured just 10 drivers, each separated by five points heading into the 10 playoff races. So, the gap from first to 10th was just 50 points.
Under the soon-to-be current format, drivers are no longer seeded based on regular season race and stage wins as they were the past dozen years. But the gap from first-place to the last playoff driver, in 16th-place, will be significant.
Ultimately, under the new format, top performers will still reap the benefits of their accomplishments, even if race wins don’t carry quite as much weight.
“It will reward them during the regular season and reward them in the playoffs, giving them a little bit of a head start,” Denny Hamlin said. “Certainly more of a head start than what The Chase had back years ago.”
How significant will the disparity between first- and 16th-place in points be when the 10-week Chase commences?
The 16th-place driver will start The Chase 100 points behind the first-place driver, who will take 25 bonus points into the postseason.
“While it is the old Chase, you actually have more motivation to perform well in the regular season, because the gap it will give you to start that 10 races is a little more than previous,” Hamlin said. “I do feel like it’s a really good balance of everything.”
