NASCAR’s current Chase format risks deciding its Cup Series championship before the final races are run, according to seven-time champion Richard Petty.
Richard Petty Criticizes Chase Format After Kansas Dominance
Petty shared his assessment in a video posted on X, stating that if NASCAR is not careful, the championship race will effectively conclude before the final two or three events take place. While noting that this outcome does not match the original design of the format, Petty explained that recent racing trends make it a likely reality. He pointed out that performance tends to replicate across similarly configured tracks, noting that drivers who run well at Kansas Speedway usually perform well at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
The current 10-race Chase format replaced the elimination-style playoffs for this season. The structure features no eliminations, allowing points to carry straight through to the championship finale. Larson entered the Chase as the seventh seed and has rattled off a strong string of finishes, never placing worse than fifth through the first four races, including wins at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway and Kansas.
Kyle Larson and Dale Inman React to the Kansas Sweep
At Kansas, Larson led 235 of 267 laps and swept both stages to collect the maximum 76 available points, prompting Petty to label him “the class of the field, for sure.” Dale Inman, Petty’s longtime crew chief, offered a blunter assessment of the race itself, stating that Larson “stunk the show up pretty big.”
Larson maintained that he remains uncertain of his exact performance level on intermediate tracks. Rain wiped out qualifying sessions at Kansas, placing him on the front row via the rainout formula. Larson noted that upcoming events at tracks like Las Vegas will serve as a truer test of his speed.
Title Rivals Push Back Against Early Championship Predictions
Denny Hamlin, who sits 26 points behind Larson in the standings, pushed back against the narrative that the title fight is already decided. Hamlin advised observers to take a breath and relax, asserting that Larson will not maintain his current average finish over the remainder of the schedule.
The Chase schedule continues on October 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and October 11 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, testing drivers on 1.5-mile ovals. Events at Phoenix, Talladega, and Martinsville follow before the season concludes with the championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 8.
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