The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season is almost at the finish line, with the Cup Series Playoffs not too distant. The 2025 Playoffs begin on Sunday, 31 August with the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. There's been talk of changing the Cup Series Playoffs, as perhaps the current format isn't the best way to determine the best racer in the sport. That's the goal of the playoffs, right? To determine who is the best driver in the sport?
That's what most NASCAR fans thought, anyway. However, one NASCAR employee's admission has fans outraged.
Mamba Smith, the "Chief Hype Officer" at NASCAR - technically, an analyst for NASCAR.com and NASCAR on Fox - sparked controversy with his admission on social media. He does not think the playoffs are meant to crown the best driver.
"The point isn’t to crown the best driver ... It’s to crown the best team who executed the best when the pressure was at its highest and the lights were the brightest," he wrote.
"Oh boy. Oh boy," one fan wrote.
"Mamba. The point *IS* to crown the best driver. Yes, NASCAR is a team sport. But it's main and single biggest draw has ALWAYS been the drivers. And there's been a big superstar problem as of late," one fan added.
"Are we for real here?" one fan added.
"Oof. Bro said the silent part out loud 😬 it’s never been about having a legitimate champion," one fan added.
"Pack it up. Winston Cup Nascar will never be seen again until all the management and media involved is replaced. Unless Nascar listens to people like us," one fan added.
"That’s not the point of the Championship? Really. This is a real problem with NASCAR media. They think they can just redefine what things mean in this sport and many of them, like Kyle Petty, act like if we don’t accept it then we are the problem," one fan added.
It's not just NASCAR fans that are bothered by Mamba Smith's comment - NASCAR drivers are annoyed, too.
Denny Hamlin, perhaps the biggest name in the sport, had a three-word reaction to the post on social media.
"Oh man, yikes," he wrote.
As many fans are pointing out, it's quite literally referred to as the Driver's Championship. Mamba Smith might be regretting this one.
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