Steve O’Donnell affords his ideas on playoff format
“What I do not wish to do is take away from whoever wins the championship this 12 months,” O’Donnell stated. “Whoever wins that championship, I’ll stand behind them and say that is our champion.”
Followers must wait a minimum of 4 extra weeks to listen to about any adjustments to the playoff format, as O’Donnell made it clear that an announcement will not come earlier than the top of the 2025 marketing campaign.
In regard to a brand new format, O’Donnell careworn the significance of superstardom, and the way NASCAR’s finest drivers should be rewarded for his or her success.
“This is what will get me to consider it: Christopher Bell,” O’Donnell stated, referencing the Joe Gibbs Racing star. “He is available in, offers me an sincere opinion, which I agree with — if I roll off 10 wins in a 12 months, and I’m going to (a) one-race (championship), and a pair different guys get into me, I am not the champion.
“4 years in a row that occurs, I do not need the subsequent Christopher Bell who’s 10 years previous proper now fascinated about NASCAR, eager to go to NASCAR, eager to be a champion (saying), ‘Huh, it is a little bit extra of an opportunity on one race.'”
Revising the format may assist create superstars
In earlier factors codecs, together with the “Chase” format the place wins didn’t equal automated berths to the postseason and there have been no playoff rounds, dominant drivers and groups have been capable of absolutely showcase their talents with out the hindrance of factors resets or a one-race championship stripping away their work. The dominance of drivers like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson turned these drivers not simply into stars within the NASCAR world, however family names in sports activities.
“Christopher Bell, to me, is a celebrity in our sport,” O’Donnell stated. “You roll off 4 championships in a row with eight wins and a physique of labor, that is good for our sport. Persons are speaking about him.”
The character of how drivers qualify for the playoffs can be a significant speaking level. With a win in any regular-season race, drivers mechanically qualify for the playoffs no matter the place they’re within the factors standings. The playoffs additionally dominate headlines from the time the inexperienced flag waves for the season-opening Daytona 500 — NASCAR’s most prestigious race — taking away a few of the luster that comes with successful NASCAR’s greatest prize.”
“I take into consideration the Daytona 500, I take into consideration how huge that race is,” O’Donnell stated. “One of many narratives is (the winner is) within the playoffs. Properly, it is the Daytona 500.”
Any adjustments to the format will not be recognized for a minimum of a month, nevertheless it’s secure to say that the talk concerning the NASCAR playoff format will not be cooling down anytime quickly.
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