Kevin Harvick delivers blunt verdict on “one of the biggest flaws” in NASCAR’s ‘whole’ system

Kevin Harvick reflected upon the glaring issue of NASCAR's single-race title decider format. The Cup Series veteran noted how easy it is to have the 'greatest year' but still end up losing the title.

This year's championship weekend had more than one heartbreak to account for. Corey Heim got away unscathed but was almost out of his luck with the Truck Series championship. His team executed a late-race pitstop that ultimately paid off, but it wasn't the case with Denny Hamlin.

The No.11 team hoped on fresh tires with two laps to go, but got stuck in traffic and ended up losing the title. Connor Zilisch, on the other hand, couldn't match Jesse Love's pace and lost out as well. All three drivers were the winningest contenders in their respective series, but it was Heim who could actually come out the victor.

However, it was a long time coming for the TRICON Garage driver as well. He had six wins in 2024 and still finished second in the standings after Ty Majeski won the finale in dominant form.

On the latest episode of Happy Hour podcast, Kevin Harvick had this to say about the current playoff format,

"That's one of the biggest flaws of the whole system, right? Like, you can have the greatest year of anybody in the field and still lose, you know, just off of one moment or one situation or one scenario. That's the part that sucks when you've kicked their a** all year. So that's a lot of pressure and having to deal with that pressure is difficult." [43:56 onwards]

Dale Earnhardt Jr. commented on Denny Hamlin's title loss and called it 'excrutiating to watch'. He noted how this was Hamlin's best shot at the title yet.

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Kevin Harvick believes there's a middle ground for the championship format

On the same episode of Happy Hour, Kevin Harvick pointed out the flaws in both the playoffs and the traditional points system. The full season championship allowed a driver to clinch the title well before the season ended, and The Chase was introduced in 2004 to keep more drivers in the title hunt.

With the playoffs getting an overhaul next year, Harvick went over the contrasting opinion on both ends.

"This is a tough situation because of the fact that people were tired of the old system because people were winning by too much. Now we're tired of the point system because of the fact that it comes down to one race. I truly believe there's a balance in the middle," Kevin Harvick said. [12:28 onwards]

Chase Elliott previously commented on the matter and sided with the full season points format. He believes a driver running away with the title should be a cause for celebration, rather than a point of ridicule.