Though the reactions were generally a lot more positive than we've seen when other drivers from well below the NASCAR Cup Series playoff cut line have won in the past, there was still the inevitable talk about the flawed playoff format after Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen dominated at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to presumably punch his playoff ticket.
Last year, we saw Wood Brothers Racing's Harrison Burton, the last place driver among full-time drivers in points, get into the postseason (over more than half of the rest of the full-time drivers) due to an upset victory at Daytona International Speedway late in the regular season.
This year, van Gisbergen entered Mexico sitting in 33rd place in the point standings, and even after his win, he finds himself in 30th. Still, he's 10th in the provisional playoff picture, even with no other top five finishes and no oval finishes higher than 14th all year.
While the playoff format is the same for everybody and everyone plays by the same exact rules, I don't think it's unfair to say that this "win and in" approach has proven to be flawed, at best, and the fact that this format is now in its 12th season has been a frustration point of many.
The problem with criticism of the modern playoff format is that nobody has a genuine solution.
When I said there have been no changes to the playoff format since 2014, I meant no fundamental changes. One change that has affected the playoffs since 2017, however, is stage racing.
Stages award points to the top 10 drivers at predetermined laps during each race. Each race is split up into three stages (four for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway). As such, in a standard race, it is technically possible for the race winner to only score the 11th most points, and it is possible for the 16th place driver to score the most points.
So when the suggestion of simply going back to a season-long points format comes up, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that running in the top 10 on a random lap count each race weekend should not be, or even have the chance to be, the deciding factor in a season-long championship.
But even without the obvious flaw that the stage racing gimmick brings to the table, let's go one step further.
Hendrick Motorsports' Chase Elliott has not had a bad year at all. Yet he hasn't won since April 2024, and that win at Texas Motor Speedway is his only win since October 2022. So he has one win in the last 32 months.
Last year, Elliott finished in third place in total points scored, and even with the frustration of 2025, he sits in fourth in total points scored. Ironically, he'd actually be third without stage points.
But the point stands: does anybody really think he has been the third strongest driver this year?
It took him until the 16th race of the year to actually finish higher than fourth place, and he ranks outside of the top 10 in laps led.
He does lead all drivers in best worst finish (20th). Through 16 races, it's an impressive stat, and he leads it by a significant margin. Every other full-time driver has placed lower than 25th at least once, so there is surely something to be said for that level of consistency.
But Elliott is a driver who, when he wins, it's great for the sport. As the seven-time reigning winner of the Most Popular Driver Award, he is the driver who can move the needle when he finds victory lane, in a way that nobody else can.
The ongoing frustration of his fanbase tells you everything you need to know about whether or not he has really had the third best season so far this year.
There are 10 drivers who have won this year, and since Elliott's most recent victory, a total of 18 different drivers have found victory lane.
As great as "good points days" are (and believe me, the No. 9 team knows all about those...), there is still something even more to be said for winning, and as much as NASCAR fans think they hate the current playoff format, there would inevitably still wind up being many complaints if NASCAR were to shift to a more points-centric championship approach.
And ironically, yet inevitably, those who think that a change in the format would solve everything would be the first in line to complain.
Winning should still count for something, and while it probably shouldn't be the be-all and end-all like it seems to be now, there still needs to be a significant emphasis placed on it, in some way, shape, or form, especially if the modern "win and in" format is to be altered or altogether scrapped.
Elliott, and the frustration of his fanbase, is proving just how much winning means. And that, in turn, proves that it's still something NASCAR should be rewarding, and that the current format might not be as awful as fans want to believe.