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Justin Marks is questioning NASCAR’s playoff system and pushing for a format that rewards season-long performance instead of a single race. In a recent interview, he spoke openly about his concerns with the playoff format. The finale took a wild turn when William Byron’s right-rear tire suddenly blew out. That sends the race into overtime. That opened the door for Kyle Larson. Kyle grabbed the lead on the restart and won the title. Denny Hamlin, who had been in a position to fight for the championship earlier, lost his shot. After the race, the main conversation shifted from the finish to a deeper question: should the championship really be decided by one race instead of the entire season? Justin Marks Says NASCAR Should Reward the Full Season Speaking on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Justin Marks explained why he believes NASCAR Playoff format doesn’t always crown the driver who earned it over the full year. “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 are running a sport. And when you run a sport, you just aren’t, you’re not going to have those game five buzzer beater moments, those bottom of ninth home run World Series moments every single time you go.” However, Marks believes that excitement should not replace fairness. He compared racing to other sports, explaining that not every championship moment is going to be dramatic. “I mean, we talk about this a lot, like some years the Super Bowl is a one possession game with two minutes left and some years it’s a blowout. Right?” To him, racing should always remain a sport first. Playoff Format Was an Experiment, Not a Permanent Solution Marks didn’t ignore the success of the NASCAR Playoff format. In fact, he said the idea was worth trying. “I think that the one race final championship was worth trying. I really do. It was a very transitional time in the history of NASCAR. I think it was a good experiment.” The one-race championship did what NASCAR wanted. It created must-watch finales filled with tension and unpredictability. Phoenix has produced several dramatic endings, and the 2025 finish with Byron’s blown tire was another example. But the same system can also erase consistent performance. A flat tire, a pit road mistake, or a mechanical failure can undo months of strong results. Season Performance Should Decide the Champion Marks believes the title should reflect the work done over all 36 races. “I don’t think that’s the right thing for the future. There is a balance between the final and 36 full races. But I think that the last race, the champion needs to be crowned by the person that performs the best, um, sort of over the course of the season.” He followed that up by clarifying that he does support the idea of playoffs. “Now I know that sounds like me saying 36 races. I think a playoff thing is important, and it’s important to sort of build excitement towards the end. But I don’t think it is good for the sport not to take anything about five, eleven, whatever. I really just don’t. So I think there’s a balance there.”
