Offseason woes

By ZECH YODER

The last eight weeks of the NASCAR Cup Series season was anything but smooth. Now NASCAR heads into the offseason with more controversy than I can remember. It seems there is little that is not in dispute. The 2025 season is less than three months away and it feels like there is a mountain of unanswered questions.

On track, the two biggest questions are the current points system and officiating.

As I discussed a few weeks back, NASCAR is going to need to address its current playoff system. While Joey Logano was certainly a legitimate champion and won the 2024 Cup Series Championship fair and square, there was no shortage of vitriol regarding how he went about doing so. It seems many NASCAR fans are tired of all the chaos created by the current points system and would prefer to go back to the chase format of the mid-2000s.

I don’t believe that NASCAR needs to abandon the playoff system, but I would prefer the Championship 4 be extended beyond a single race. A two or even race Championship 4 might make the playoff feel less arbitrary.

The officiating in 2024 has been interesting to say the least. Certainly, the teams and manufactures did not make it easy on NASCAR when Ross Chastain and Austin Dillion ran a blockade for Chevy teammate William Byron at Martinsville to ensure Bryon would advance to the Championship 4. Nor was it easy when Austin Dillion punted Joey Logano at Richmond and then right-rear-hooked Denny Hamlin coming to the checkers to take the win.

But there were other calls throughout the year that left teams and fans puzzled.

For example, NASCAR lifting the red flag and going back to caution without rolling the cars or the pace car at Talladega. Or the disastrous damaged vehicle policy (DVP) that caught out various drivers. Or the numerous yellow flag inconsistencies throughout the season. Or the 27-minute fiasco at Martinsville involving Christopher Bell’s alleged wall ride.

NASCAR chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell recently stated that he doesn’t believe NASCAR has an officiating problem. I beg to differ. Whether those at NASCAR what to admit it or not, the officiating must improve. I am optimistic that many of the officiating controversies will be straightened out by the time the Daytona 500 comes around.

Finally, the largest offseason woe is the lawsuit between 23XI/Front Row Motorsports and NASCAR. At this point, both teams will enter the 2025 season without charters or a guaranteed starting spot. It is also conceivable, though not likely, that 23XI could lose one or two of its drivers. Neither Tyler Reddick nor Bubba Wallace are under a contractual obligation to continue with the Hamlin/Jordan duo if the team does not have charters. This lawsuit has the potential to wreak havoc on the garage area.

Frankly, I believe NASCAR has much more to lose than either 23XI or Front Row Motorsports, and the longer it goes the worse it gets for NASCAR. It cannot start the 2025 season with a championship caliber team fighting to make the race each week, especially when that team is owned by Michael Jordan.

NASCAR is in a tight spot right now. I believe that many of the issues described above arise from NASCAR’s concentrated efforts to expand its fan base and viewership. It must take care not to alienate its longtime fans. A three-month break might be beneficial for all.

I can’t wait to see what the 2025 season brings.

Zech Yoder is a local resident, an attorney at Adler Attorneys in Noblesville, and a lifelong race fan.