NASCAR champion slams 'very unhealthy' Cup Series playoff format

It is playoff season in the NASCAR Cup Series, so it is also open season on the controversial postseason format.

Analysts, fans and drivers alike are howling for change to a system which appears to work for very few people, outside of three-time champion Joey Logano.

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With NASCAR’s Playoff Committee meeting imminently to discuss potential new formats, the chatter about what needs to happen is louder than ever.

Keselowski on playoff format

One man who is absolutely clear that something needs to give is 2012 Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski. He discussed the hot topic during a ‘12 Questions’ interview with Jeff Gluck of The Athletic.

When asked what needs to happen to make the sport great again, the 41-year-old superstar explained: “The whole playoff thing has to go away. The nuance of having 10 races that are more important than 20-some others is very unhealthy for the sport. It’s demeaning to the other tracks and races.

“And unfortunately, those 10 races that are supposed to mean more are in direct competition with other sports. It muddies the water. It’s not working for the sport. Those two would be 1A and 1B.”

Tracks need to make more money

The playoff format is not the only thing that Keselowski identifies as a major issue for NASCAR to solve, he also sees problems when it comes to the tracks.

“The tracks, in general, need to find more ways to generate revenue outside of NASCAR,” he said.

“A lot of these tracks you go to, if you come to them on a Tuesday, three weeks before or after the race, there’s like three people that work there. There’s nobody around. …

"The tracks aren’t able to raise enough capital to invest in the fan experience, or they’re significantly subsidized out of the media rights (TV deal) to make their business sustainable.

“That creates a series of dominoes downstream, whether it be the fan experience that doesn’t rival other sports or draining cash flow that potentially could be coming to the teams and enabling things like testing. …”

New minds and innovation required

One other thing that Keselowski believes would give NASCAR a shot in the arm is attracting more innovation and new thinking into the sport.

“I’d look at new OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) as very important - a high tide that raises all ships. They’ll invest in the teams while concurrently investing in the tracks through advertising, along with our media rights holders. A new OEM is right there behind it.”

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