Copyright Sports Illustrated
As we all anxiously await the next format that NASCAR will use to determine its champions in the NASCAR National Series ranks in 2026, many are finally letting their thoughts be known about the format that has been installed within the sport since the 2014 season. Justin Marks, owner of Trackhouse Racing, opened up about the Playoff format in an interview on SiriusXM Speedway with Dave Moody on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio on Monday. Marks explained that while having a "game-seven" moment guaranteed every year sounds great in theory, knowing the "game-seven" moment is coming sucks the magic out of it for the fanbase. "You have to balance what's required in the world today to be an entertainment property that gets people excited with the fact that you're running a sport. And when you run a sport, you're just not going to have those game [seven] buzzer-beater moments, those bottom of the ninth [inning] homerun World Series moments every single time you go," Marks said. "I mean, we talk about this a lot. Some years, the Super Bowl is a one-possession game with two minutes left, and some years it's a blowout. You can't mess with that." While Marks isn't a fan of the winner-take-all final race for the championship, the team owner doesn't feel like the Playoff format was a bad idea back when it was originally adopted in 2014. In fact, he felt at that time it was worth the gamble for NASCAR. "I think that the one-race final championship was worth trying, I really do," Marks stated. "I think it was like a very transitional time in the history NASCAR, I think it was a good experiment." That being said, Marks continued, "I don't think that it's the right thing for the future. I don't. I think there's a balance between the one final race and the 36 full races. But I think the last race, the champion needs to be crowned by the person who performed the best sort of over the course of the season." Many people have expressed a lot of different opinions about what the next championship format should consist of, whether it be a revised version of the current Playoffs with a four-race championship round, the classic 10-race Chase format used from 2004 to 2013, or even the season-long championship format. What seems certain though is that hardly anyone wants to keep the current system in place, including Marks. But while he feels like the champion should be the driver and team that performed best all season long, he does feel some aspect of the Playoffs should remain in the next championship format. "I know that sounds like me saying 36 races, I think a Playoff thing is important, I think it's important to sort of build excitement towards the end," Marks explained. "But I don't think it's good for the sport, not to say anything about [Kyle Larson] and [Denny Hamlin], whatever, I don't think it's good if a champion is decided by a blown tire in the last race. I really just don't. I think there's a balance there. I think that a Playoff system is good for the sport. I think it needs to be a number of races to determine a champion." Outside of saying a decision on the championship format wouldn't come until after Championship Week at Phoenix Raceway, NASCAR has placed no timetable on when to expect the new championship format to be revealed. Recommended Articles
