NASCAR insider calls for honesty as fans reveal what's truly broken in the sport

Veteran NASCAR journalist and insider Jeff Gluck has recently sparked a powerful conversation within the racing community after posting a heartfelt message on his official X addressing the growing frustration among fans. His post, which posed a series of candid questions about the sport’s direction and the fan base’s anger, resonated widely not just for its timing but for its honesty.

In his post, Gluck admitted what many in the NASCAR world have felt for some time: fans are upset, and the disconnect between the sport and its most loyal supporters seems to be widening.

Addressing the growing frustration and negativity within the NASCAR fan base, here’s what Gluck wrote on X:

“Alright, so here's the question of the day for you. When I talk to people around the NASCAR industry, a lot of the conversations are about how angry the fan base is. Everyone sees it (and this was well before everything boiled over on Sunday). So...how does that get fixed?” “How does NASCAR move forward at this point in a way where a year from now, the dialogue here is less vitriolic and you guys are back to having more fun and enjoying the sport again? I'm not naive enough to think X will ever be a happy place, but I am an optimist and believe this year could be a low point -- which means there are better days ahead. So what needs to happen for NASCAR to have its "Nature is Healing!" moment with the core fan base?”

In his post, Jeff Gluck also anticipated that many responses would focus on the oft-criticized championship format, but he believes that the problems likely run deeper.

Fans quickly flooded his replies with a mix of frustration and passion, citing demands like a 36-race points system, a standard start time for races, improvement in cars, stopping the gimmicks, lower ticket prices, one channel for every race, limitation on road courses, consistency with cautions, and many more.

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NASCAR insider demands a change in one race finale format

YouTuber and insider Eric Estepp criticized the current championship format that decides the title in a single, winner-takes-all finale. He believes that this format is unfair to rookie Connor Zilisch, who dominated the entire 2025 Xfinity Series season, winning 10 races but still failed to win the championship because of one race outcome.

Zilisch finished third in the season-finale race at Phoenix, but Jesse Love, who had won two races including the season finale, is the 2025 Xfinity champion.

“Alright, that should officially mark the END of the 1-race finale. It just DOES NOT WORK especially when a driver has a dominant year. Connor Zilisch put together a tremendous, 10-win season...but neither he nor the No. 88 will be remembered as champions.” Estepp wrote on X.

Kyle Larson won the 2025 Cup Series championship, and Corey Heim is the Truck Series champion this year.

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Edited by Yash Soni