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![\"NASCAR](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/nascar-cup-championship-trophy.jpg\")
<\/p>\nJeff Burton has been around NASCAR for a long time, making his debut as a driver in the Xfinity Series back during the 1988 season. He went on to make nearly 700 starts at the Cup level, winning 21 races. But for the past decade, he has worked as TV analyst for NBC’s NASCAR coverage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This week, I had the opportunity to speak with Burton on behalf of Motorsport.com, discussing a myriad of topics including the hotly debated playoff format. Rumors are accelerating around possible changes, focusing on opening the final round beyond a single race. No official announcements have been made, but one could be coming very soon.<\/p>\n
“I want to be clear about something,” Burton said about the current format and potential changes. “I believe that the people who do it best are the ones who are successful, and so if the rule is changed, it doesn\u2019t mean that the people that won championships under this format weren\u2019t deserving. The competitors have to play by the rules that the sanctioning body creates, and the ones that do it best are the champions \u2013 period, end of story.<\/p>\n
“I know people say \u2018well a playoff is not indicative of who had the best season.\u2019 Well yeah, you can make that case in every sport. And then they\u2019ll say \u2018well it\u2019s different in motorsports\u2019 \u2013 okay, I can hear that argument. It is different, and motorsports is different than other sports, but other sports have their challenges too. Look at the injuries in football, basketball \u2013 there are all kinds of things that make every sport unique to themselves”<\/p>\n
Burton “good with” possible format changes
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NASCAR Cup championship trophy<\/p>\n
Photo by: Jared C. Tilton\/Getty Images<\/p>\n
Burton addressed those critical of recent champions, such as three-time champion Joey Logano<\/a>, who won the 2024 title with an average finish of 17.1. Burton said he “doesn\u2019t buy into this thing where some people want to say that the way this works, we don\u2019t have a legitimate champion. I call complete horse crap on that.<\/p>\n “I will also say that if we had more races to determine a champion, I\u2019m good with that. I think that does do some things that some critics of the current playoffs where one race shouldn\u2019t mean this much \u2013 I can get around that. That is a realistic argument, but I also can\u2019t sit here and tell you that Joey Logano, or Ryan Blaney<\/a> isn\u2019t a deserving champion. They did it. No one else did. That\u2019s where I get a little bit flustered in this conversation. People can disagree whether one race is right or not. I understand and hear both sides of it. But don\u2019t diminish the accomplishments in a super high-stress, high-pressure environment who delivered. Teams, pit crews, drivers \u2013 don\u2019t diminish their effort. That\u2019s not fair to them.<\/p>\n “I\u2019m good if the industry decides let\u2019s have more race to determine a champion. I\u2019m 100% good with it. It\u2019s an argument and discussion worth having, for sure. If it goes in that direction, I\u2019ll be a supporter of it.”<\/p>\n Evolution of NASCAR playoffs<\/p>\n The format has changed quite a bit over the years. After decades with a full season points system, NASCAR implemented the ten-race ‘Chase’ in 2004. This followed a year where Matt Kenseth<\/a> won a single race in March, and then used consistency in earning points to win the crown. However, after Jimmie Johnson<\/a> won a record five consecutive ‘Chase’ era titles, the format started to change some more. There was a push to reward winners, especially after Jamie McMurray<\/a> missed the 2010 postseason after winning both the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400.\u00a0<\/p>\n Eventually, the 2004 change evolved into the multi-round, elimination-style format we now have in 2025, where winning a race is equivalent to a golden ticket, erasing any points deficit and ensuring advancement for title challengers.<\/p>\n
![\"Joey](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/joey-logano-team-penske-ford.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/nascar-cup-loudon-ii-2004-the-final-top-10-for-the-chase-for-the-championship-jeremy-mayfi.jpg\")
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