Dale Earnhardt Jr. claims NASCAR playoff format 'betrayed us' after Phoenix championship weekend

Dale Earnhardt Jr. has long been a critic of the current NASCAR elimination style playoff format. After the finish to this past Sunday’s Cup Series championship race at Phoenix Raceway, Earnhardt can’t help but think that the “format betrayed us really badly.”

The format was introduced in 2014 and features a one-race, winner-take-all finale. Throughout the years, Earnhardt can only recall one time he left the racetrack truly bothered by the outcome of the championship race. That was back in 2016, when Carl Edwards lost the championship after NASCAR issued a late caution for debris on the racetrack while he was leading.

Then came Sunday at Phoenix when Denny Hamlin was out front, less than three miles away from winning his first championship when one caution changed everything. William Byron blew a tire and hit the wall, forcing NASCAR to wave the yellow flag. Overtime it was, where Kyle Larson restarted five spots ahead of Hamlin thanks to taking only two tires on the final pit stop to Hamlin’s four. Larson won the 2025 title after finishing third, three spots ahead of Hamlin.

“The format betrayed us really badly,” Earnhardt said on Tuesday’s Dale Jr. Download. “I’m trying to understand where my frustration or my angst is, what is to be directed at. We’ve had this format for a while. It’s done this before, but I’ve never walked out of there going, ‘F*ck, dude, that was way f*cking egregious.’ What is it about this particular year? We’ve had this format, a lot of people don’t like it, we’ve all kind of not said too much sh*t about it over the years. Now this year, everybody went full scorched Earth on this format. We did, we all did and about damn time.

“It took everybody a long time to come around to really what I’ve been feeling about this format since it came into existence. Like, one race to decide it is too aggressive, but we all lived with it for a while. But I never walked out of Homestead or Phoenix going, ‘That was just f*cking wrong.’ Well, one time. Carl Edwards. … That was the one year that I walked out of there kind of nauseous, and I’m not a Carl Edwards fan at that time. I like Carl now, we’re good. But I was sitting there like that was bullsh*t.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ready to move on from current NASCAR playoff format

Larson found a way to win his second championship despite, at one point, going a lap down and failing to lead a single lap. Hamlin, meanwhile, led a championship race record 208 laps.

Earnhardt wasn’t bothered by that. However, he was surprised at Hamlin’s inability to make up much ground in overtime. Just two days prior in the Truck Series championship race, Corey Heim restarted 10th and was able to make a seven-wide pass to get back to the front and take the checkered flag ahead of Ty Majeski. Hamlin was unable to do the same.

“I don’t think there’s an outrage over the fact that the yellow came out,” Earnhardt said. ” … I don’t look at the caution and go, ‘Dang it, NASCAR, why’d you do that?’ I don’t know that Denny’s looking at it going, ‘Sh*t, I’m mad they threw the yellow.’ Larson wins the championship and says, ‘Man, we didn’t even have a great car, and we didn’t lead a lap today.’ Listen, careful, because next year at the last race of the year, the champion might not have a great car, and he might not lead a lap and everybody’s gonna be OK with it then. The fact that he had an average car and didn’t lead a lap doesn’t bother me.

“Honestly, the green flag comes out, and I’m watching Denny trying to get underneath those guys and get bottled up and not be able to finish the throttle off of [Turn] 2, and I’m like, ‘God almighty.’ I thought his four tires would do better. We watched Corey Heim come from 10th, drive to the bottom of the racetrack and damn near take the lead. When they got to Turn 1, he was damn near side-by-side with the 5. When they got to Turn 1, the 11 is on the 5’s quarter panel. … I was so surprised the 11 couldn’t make that bottom work. … That was excruciating to watch.”