Christopher Bell, exiting the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series championship chase after a difficult outing at Martinsville with his No. 20 Toyota Camry XSE, expressed satisfaction with the current postseason system. Offering his Christopher Bell playoff format reaction in the aftermath, Bell acknowledged that the format worked as intended this season, putting deserving competitors in contention for the title.
Final Four Drivers Set Following Intense Martinsville Showdown
This year’s Championship 4 lineup includes William Byron, Kyle Larson, Chase Briscoe, and Denny Hamlin, all of whom will compete for the title at Phoenix Raceway on November 2. Bell’s hopes ended after a car handling struggle, but he spoke candidly about the result and the process that led to the final four being chosen.
“I think the format has a lot of positives around it. This year, four of the right guys ended up making it. I think whoever the champion is out of those four is going to be a deserving champion. This year, the format worked out. I am content with the results.”
— Christopher Bell, driver
Bell Less Disappointed Than Previous Year, Recognizes Strong Field
Comparing his feelings to the prior season, Bell shared that he feels less let down because he believes the four advancing drivers earned their place in the final. While his run ended earlier than he hoped, he recognized the level of competition, especially pointing to Kyle Larson as the driver he needed to beat:
“I’d say it feels a lot better than last year, for sure. I genuinely feel like the four going there are very deserving, and it is what it is. We knew coming in here, we were going to have to outrun [Larson], and we didn’t do it.”
— Christopher Bell, driver
Performance Stats and What’s at Stake in Phoenix
Data from NASCAR’s Loop Data highlighted Larson’s stronger average running position at 5.13, compared to Bell’s 8.03, underscoring why Larson advanced. As the battle shifts to Phoenix Raceway, the drivers will compete for the season’s ultimate prize. Although out of contention for the championship, Bell retains a chance to influence the finale by chasing a win in the closing event.
Anticipated Updates to Playoff Format After the Season
NASCAR officials, including promotion managing director of communications Mike Forde, have indicated changes to the playoff format may be coming after the season wraps. There is growing expectation that next year’s system could feature a multi-race segment to determine the champion instead of the single-race showdown. Forde explained the reasoning behind not announcing changes before this year’s conclusion:
“We don’t want to announce a format prior to Phoenix and then have everyone either devalue this year’s championship or sort of make another set of points of who would be the champion if a new format were in place. So I think that would be after this year.”
— Mike Forde, Managing Director of Communications
Potential for Change in 2026 Despite Support for Current Approach
While Bell and others acknowledge strength and fairness in the present playoff structure, ongoing debate and calls for reform suggest significant alterations are likely for the 2026 season. As the sport closes out another intense campaign, the championship drama remains, with Phoenix Raceway set to deliver a memorable title-deciding race.
Christopher Bell on elimination and just needing to have more consistency over the course of the season pic.twitter.com/lF9eMwuRd2
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) October 26, 2025
