Denny Hamlin pitches new NASCAR playoff format

Following the conclusion of the 2024 NASCAR season, Denny Hamlin is already thinking up ways to improve the playoffs. Whether you like it or not, the playoffs are going to stay, but what tweaks can be made to them?

Denny Hamlin came up short of the Championship 4 this season. He has not made the final race since 2021. Hamlin did have Tyler Reddick, his driver from 23XI Racing, make the finale. But he ultimately came up short as well.

On his Actions Detrimental podcast, Hamlin made a suggestion. He has ideas on how to make the postseason better overall.

The Hamlin System: Double the current regular season Stage and Playoff points. From 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 for finishing top-10 in the stage, double it. The winner of the stage would get 2 playoff points instead of 1 for a stage win.

The idea is to give the drivers like Kyle Larson who rack up stage points and wins a bigger advantage for the postseason, which they earn through regular season performance. That’s pretty good.

The Hamlin System then has two rounds instead of three. 16 drivers in the first round and a seven-race battle for the Championship 4. Those four advance to the championship round which would be three races. Whoever earns the most points in the final three-race round is the champion.

Double regular-season points, seven races to make the Championship 4, and a three-race final round. 🏆

What are your thoughts on @DennyHamlin's Playoff format? 👇 pic.twitter.com/rwDQKpFWSs

— Dirty Mo Media (@DirtyMoMedia) November 13, 2024

So, what do you think of this? Is it an improvement or just more complications? NASCAR has been adamant that the playoffs are not going anywhere. Although, they could be tweaked in the future.

Denny Hamlin brainstorms, will NASCAR make changes?

For whatever reason, Joey Logano winning three of the final 10 races of the season to clutch out a championship was a step too far for many. Denny Hamlin is not the only one to offer his own playoff solutions.

Personally, the biggest issue I have with the current system is the one-race finale. Pair that with how poorly the Next Gen car races at Phoenix, and it isn’t exactly the most exciting thing in the world.

While the winningest driver of the year, Kyle Larson, missed the championship, Joey Logano had the second-most wins this year. Although, he was far less consistent than the No. 5 team. But in this current system, you can chalk that up to different theories on how to maximize performance over the course of a season.

Was Team Penske and Joey Logano worried about having the best average finish? Or were they more concerned with testing out new setups and strategies to collect as much data as possible to then use that information to maximize their results in the playoffs?

Denny Hamlin has ideas, but will it improve the playoffs? That is hard to determine without seeing it in action.