Dale Earnhardt Jr. suggests current NASCAR playoff format is 'most difficult' way to win championship

NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell said in an interview with Dale Earnhardt Jr. that the sanctioning body will not announce any potential changes to the playoff format before the end of the 2026 Cup Series season. Earnhardt believes that is the correct decision from NASCAR.

Yes, Earnhardt would prefer a different format to determine a champion. No, that doesn’t mean that any championship won under the current format is less than, he said.

“I do not want it to make a Joey Logano, a Ryan Blaney, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott — I don’t want them to ever feel like that means that the championship they won under whatever format is less than. The way we do it today is the hardest, most difficult way to win a championship,” Earnhardt said on Tuesday’s Dale Jr. Download. “To put four guys on the track and you only have one race, and it has to go right, the odds are against you in this format more so than any other, in my opinion. I say that to help those guys feel like they’ve achieved something difficult.

“Is it my favorite way? No. Do I prefer another way? Yes, but it doesn’t mean that championship that they got and that trophy they got in their house isn’t as valuable or as neat or as cool or as appreciated as any trophy or championship that was won in the first 50 years of the sport.”

Talk of the playoff format and whether that will look different next year has dominated discussion off the racetrack. Earnhardt reiterated his belief that he favors a 36-race, season-long format. He added that this year’s playoffs have left him “exhausted.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. ‘exhausted’ by 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs

Logano, a three-time champion under the current format, is a fan of NASCAR having a postseason. He talked up the playoffs in his post-race interview after this past Sunday’s Round of 12 finale at the Charlotte ROVAL.

“The playoffs create drama,” Logano said. “It creates storylines. It creates awesome moments like that. I don’t understand what people don’t like about it. I really don’t get it. And if you’re one of those people who say the regular season doesn’t matter, playoff points don’t matter — one point would have been the difference there. I preach that all the time. I’m not just saying that because it works for us. I’m saying it because it’s true. Everyone likes to look at it in other ways, but like I said, one point was the different there.

“If you don’t have cutoff races and things like that, what are you even talking about today? How Shane [van Gisbergen] waxed everyone’s butt? That’s what you want? I’m just saying, this playoff format is wicked.”

Earnhardt appreciates Logano and his opinion. However, he’s finding is difficult to enjoy the 2025 playoffs.

“I can appreciate Joey Logano, he is a Hall of Famer, he is a multi-time champion, a true badass, clutch driver. Give him the car, he gets the job done. I’ve seen him do things that just really sets him apart from most race car drivers on the racetrack,” Earnhardt said. “I’m just having a hard time watching this year’s playoff play out.”