Brad Keselowski addresses push for 36-race points season, voices opinion on championship format

More and more, you hear drivers, fans, and media members arguing for a 36-race championship. Brad Keselowski knows why. The NASCAR champion won during the Chase era of the sport. But in 2025, he thinks he knows what the path forward for the sport should be.

Brad Keselowski is a team owner and driver. That gives him a unique perspective. While he was speaking to the media at Talladega, he was asked about the discourse around the NASCAR Playoffs and returning to a more old-school points system.

So, why is there growing momentum to go back to a 36-race format? What is the driving force behind it, and is it the best way forward? Keselowski answered that and a little more.

“The sport is really interesting with how it perceives itself. It’s one of the sports that has the most noticeable negative feedback loop. That said, it’s also a squeaky-wheel-gets-the-grease sport where if somebody’s not squeaking, things don’t ever change,” Brad Keselowski said, via Jeff Gluck of The Athletic. “The 36 format has had such a loud drum beat as of late because I think most of the industry is realizing it’s probably the best for the sport.”

What started as Mark Martin tweeting and posting on social media to his followers has turned into a legitimate position. What seemed impossible just two years ago now feels like it is on the cusp of happening.

Brad Keselowski supports 36-race format for NASCAR

You aren’t going to get too many demands out of Brad Keselowski. But he is a great person in the sport when you want a well-thought out opinion. Even when you don’t agree with what Keselowski has to say, he’s usually got sound reasoning for why he is saying it.

The same goes for the 36-race championship format. Keselowski talked about the difference between that and the playoff format now.

“There’s a number of reasons for that, but [it’s] also because the sport has kind of revealed itself to be heavily influenced by its own spin, so to speak,” Brad Keselowski continued. “So I suspect that drum beat will get just louder from more and more voices. Ultimately, I do think that the 36-race season format is what’s best for the sport. It’s not my decision. It’ll come down to the France family making that decision, and I respect that. They own the sport, and they have every right to make that decision.

“But if you look at this sport holistically, NASCAR was built on the concept of races connected with a championship – and it has shifted to a sport that is now a championship connected by races. Inherently, that removes some of the big-event feel that I think made NASCAR so special in decades past. We need 38 big events. That’s what this sport needs to endure for generations to come, and the best opportunity for that is in a season-long format that is a series of races connected by a championship, rather than a championship connected by a series of races.”

So, is Brad Keselowski right? As more and more people ask for it, will NASCAR ultimately change to a 36-race format? Right now, it appears it will be a modified playoff format for 2026. But nothing is set in stone as of right now.