“That’s his nightmare scenario”: NASCAR’s Mike Forde says Steve O’Donnell fears losing next-gen stars over current championship format 

NASCAR's Director of Racing Communications, Mike Forde, shed light on Steve O'Donnell's 'nightmare scenario' with the current playoff format. As per Forde, the NASCAR chief fears that the next 'Connor Zilisch type' may turn away from the sport due to its unpredictability.

Zilisch's rookie season proved to be one for the history books. Despite enduring two injuries, the 19-year-old nabbed ten wins and twenty top-5s over 32 starts. He entered the finale as the title favorite, but ultimately lost it all to his best friend and Richard Childress Racing driver, Jesse Love.

The title loss caused uproar from fans and analysts alike. Back in October, O'Donnell shared his worries with the current single-race title decider. He opened up about a personal exchange with Christopher Bell, who was concerned that the format might discourage aspiring drivers.

Noting the same, Forde took his Hauler Talk podcast and said (via Racing America),

"[Steve O'Donnell] is really good at looking into the future and I think one of the things that keeps him up at night is a Connor Zilisch type, whoever the 12-year-old wunderkind out there now, looks at the championship format at NASCAR and says, 'You know what, I don't like the fact that I can win 10 races like Connor did, and not win the championship. Let me look at F1, let me look at IndyCar, let me look at this other - I have this driving talent that can translate into other forms of racing. I'm going to move to this because I feel like this championship format is a little more legitimate, and I'm not going to go to NASCAR.' That is his nightmare scenario."

As a respite to his misfortune, Connor Zilisch will make his full-time Cup Series debut next year. He's set to drive the No.88 Chevy for Trackhouse Racing. His team owner, Justin Marks, recently addressed the signing and noted that Zilisch will become a 'huge star'.

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NASCAR's leading contenders in the Next Gen Era

Ever since the introduction of the Next Gen package, Team Penske has won every driver's championship until this year. Kyle Larson is the only Hendrick Motorsports driver to have achieved the feat in the last five years.

However, it's Joe Gibbs Racing that has reigned supreme all along. The four-car outfit narrowly leads HMS on the most laps led, while Team Penske trails them in third. Rick Ware Racing is the least competitive of the lot, leading just 0.2% laps.

On the driver's front, Kyle Larson emerges as the clear winner with 16 wins under his belt. Denny Hamlin and William Byron claim the second spot with 14 wins each, although Hamlin beats the HMS driver with five more second-place finishes.

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Edited by Vignesh Kanna