It all changed on September 17, 2025. NASCAR‘s playoff committee had dropped the bomb off making changes to the sport’s postseason format. The main topic of discussion was the possibility of reverting to a full-season points-based championship, a structure that NASCAR utilised until 2004. The outcry may have sparked change, but now Ryan Blaney’s words could fuel the fire even further.
Earlier this week, Ryan Blaney voiced his dislike for the win-and-you’re-in system. At present, drivers receive only a modest bonus for a regular-season win, which Blaney feels undervalues the importance of the victory itself. He has floated the idea of increasing these bonus points substantially to widen the gaps among top performers, making each win carry more weight throughout the season.
Speaking to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion had his own vision for the playoff changes: “I would like to see whether it’s your playoff start, if you do that, and it’s your 16 guys, and it goes 10 weeks straight. Then, if you win a lot in the regular season, you have a bunch of bonus points to start it, and then it’s a 10-week sprint where you have to have some consistency.”
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He has also offered creative ideas for narrowing the playoff field. One of his concepts involved eliminating the bottom half of contenders after 10 races, with the remaining drivers carrying over their points to continue competing for the title. While he has acknowledged that there are numerous ways to structure it, Ryan Blaney has emphasized his openness to change and experimentation.
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Blaney added, “I’ve also thought about if you have 10 races to the end, you have five, and then you cut off the bottom eight, and then you have five to the end, and those eight guys will race, and you just kind of carry over your points from the regular season and the first part of the playoffs, and then that goes on.”
As the Team Penske driver continues to elaborate on his master plan, he has also expressed interest in a playoff structure reminiscent of NASCAR’s 2004-2013 system, where a set number of drivers qualified based on points and competed in a series of final races. He sees an appeal in this approach. It rewards both wins and consistent performance over an extended stretch while reducing the championship dependence on a single race finale.
In anticipation of potential reforms, at the most recent meeting on September 17, one widely discussed option is a return to the 36th race point system used before 2004. As committee deliberation unfolds and paddock voices like Dale Jr. are game for this change, momentum appears to be building for a more traditional, season-long championship format.
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Blaney ensured to sound more adaptable to change by saying, “I don’t know. There’s a lot of different scenarios out there, but I would be game for a change, some kind of a change. But I think my biggest things are get out of the win in your end if you do a playoff format, and then, again, if you do a playoff format, have more races to the end to determine your champion. Or if they want to go to 36 races, that’s fine with me, too.”
NASCAR is grappling with a cocktail of challenges this season, including declining TV ratings, criticism of its playoff format, and doubts about its ability to produce superstars, as noted by Bubba Wallace. That spotlight has recently shifted towards Ryan Blaney, as insiders and officials debate how to recapture the excitement by building up new heroes within the sport.
Ryan Blaney’s bold persona sparks talk across NASCAR
At the Axios Media Trends Live Summit, NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps stressed the importance of showcasing the personalities that fuel the series. Phelps believes that by shining a light on the risk, grit, and commitment of each driver, fans and media alike will begin to see them as legends in the making.
He admitted, “To answer your question with respect to what we would call driver star power, I think that we need to do a better job of it, frankly, we need to make heroes of these drivers, and then the relationships that we have with our media partners, they need to help us do that as well, because you strap into a 3,500lb car, it’s dangerous, and these guys are heroes in their own right.”
That sentiment was echoed by NBC Sports’ NASCAR voice, Leigh Diffey. For Diffey, building a driver means that the power goes beyond race-day results. It is about storytelling, capturing who drivers are away from the track as much as what they do behind the wheel. He pointed directly at Ryan Blaney as a prime example.
Diffey said, “I think you just try and highlight for the viewing audience, maybe dig a little bit deeper on the star’s personality, the driver’s personality, maybe away from the track. I think one guy who carries himself in a certain way and has that swagger in a superstar way is very much Ryan Blaney.”
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The whole “Be Ryan F —— Blaney” slogan had taken the NASCAR community by storm. The NASCAR: Full Speed docuseries caught a candid moment at Phoenix 2024 before the Cup Series championship, where Blaney’s wife dropped this million-dollar line. This shows the type of impact Blaney has on the sport.