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Ryan Blaney chimed in on the championship format debate Wednesday on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Blaney pushed back on the narrative that drivers who have won a championship in the 16-driver playoff era were less deserving than those who won under the full season points format.

“What kind of bugs me a little bit is the people that are so diehard on, like, ‘If you won a championship in this format that we have now, oh, it’s a Mickey Mouse championship and it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t count,’” Blaney said. ‘It’s like, man, everyone has the same opportunity as the guy who won it. This isn’t the full season points. Like everyone always talks about like, ‘Oh, this guy, he would have won the full season points.’ Like, well, that’s great. But we haven’t used that format in 20 years.

“… I look at our championship as like, we had a good year, and we even had a better playoffs than everybody else. And we rose to the occasion when we needed to, and we dug in, and we were the best car during the playoffs and had some big wins and I was able to get the championship.”

Ryan Blaney joins in on NASCAR championship format debate

The current playoff format has come under fire following Joey Logano’s victory in the NASCAR Cup Series championship race at Phoenix this past season, in which the Team Penske driver captured his third title. Logano had an average finish of 17.1, the worst for a driver in a championship-winning season.

But in the playoff format, adopted in 2004 and tweaked along the way, winning is everything. NASCAR switched to an elimination style format in 2014, where 16 drivers make up the field. Winning at least one regular season race grants entry into the postseason.

Blaney won the championship in 2023. While far from the dominant car during the regular season, Blaney locked in during the playoffs. He won two of the 10 races, and finished second twice, including in the season finale at Phoenix.

Ryan Blaney reveals what he would change about NASCAR championship format

“I mean, everyone can have their opinion,” Blaney said. “It gets under my skin a little bit when they’re like, ‘You guys didn’t deserve that championship.’ It’s like, what are you talking about, man? Like we went through the grinder, everyone digs in. And we were resilient when it mattered.”

While Blaney will defend his championship against anyone, he is open to change when it comes to the playoff format. He said he doesn’t love the winner-takes-all nature of the final playoff race. Instead, Blaney would like to see a little more consistency rewarded.

“Do I have my ideal like championship format? Yeah,” Blaney said. “Like my opinion on it, I was a huge fan of the initial Chase. Last 10 weeks of the year, you kind of have somewhat of a reset in points and then you go 10 races and whoever had the best 10 races was going to win the championship.”

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR will hold a street race on Naval Base Coronado in Southern California next June as a replacement for its downtown Chicago event that ran the last three years.

The move to the San Diego area does not eliminate a return to Chicago, where NASCAR will still maintain an office and effort an eventual return, perhaps as early as 2027.

But the shift next year will allow NASCAR to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy by hosting all three of its national series over a three-day weekend on June 19-21.

“As part of our nation’s 250th anniversary, we are honored for NASCAR to join the celebration as we host our first street race at a military base, Naval Base Coronado,” Ben Kennedy, executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovations officer, said Wednesday. “NASCAR San Diego Weekend will honor the Navy’s history and the men and women who serve as we take the best motorsports in the world to the streets of Naval Base Coronado.”

It will be NASCAR’s second street race in the sport’s history, following the three-year run in Chicago, and first on an active military base. The course layout is not complete but is expected to be around 3 miles.

NASCAR has seen Auto Club Speedway close after the 2023 race. It built a temporary short track inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum from 2002 through 2024 but moved that event to North Carolina.

Kennedy, who has been bullish on new endeavors for his family business, was the brains of the races at the Coliseum, Chicago, this year’s visit to Mexico City and now next year in San Diego, a venture the Navy is excited about.

“NASCAR embodies the very best of the American spirit through speed, precision and an unyielding pursuit of excellence,” Navy Secretary John C. Phelan said. “Hosting a race aboard Naval Air Station North Island, the birthplace of naval aviation, it’s not just a historic first, it’s a powerful tribute to the values we share: grit, teamwork and love of country.

“From the flight deck to the finish line, this collaboration reflects the operational intensity and unity of purpose that define both the United States Navy and NASCAR.”

The base is known as the “West Coast Quarterdeck” and is a consortium of nine Navy installations that stretch from San Clemente Island 50 miles off the coast of Long Beach to the Mountain Warfare Training Facility 50 miles east of San Diego.

NASCAR named Amy Lupo, who has been with the series since 2021 and helped launch the Coliseum, as president of the race. She spent more than 20 years at ESPN expanding the X Games when she lived in San Diego early in her career. She still lives in Southern California.

Connor Zilisch continues to harbor dreams of racing in Formula 1 as he climbs the ranks and impresses in NASCAR.

Zilisch has emerged as one of the brightest prospects in NASCAR. The 19-year-old has won at every level he has competed in, and even took the checkered flag with Dale Earnhardt Jr. serving as his interim crew chief. 

At Sonoma Raceway, Zilisch impressively defeated the in-form Shane van Gisbergen in a thrilling Xfinity Series race. Van Gisbergen has been in electric form recently, winning three of the last five Cup Series races, highlighting the teenager’s ability. 

Zilisch is currently driving full-time with JR Motorsports and is contracted to Trackhouse Racing, where he participates in a partial Cup program. He is set to be elevated into a permanent Cup Series seat alongside Van Gisbergen next year.

While he is attracting attention and hitting headlines in NASCAR, Zilisch started his career in karts and spent time in Europe. His original goal was reaching Formala 1, and it still remains on his list of targets for the future. 

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“It’s always in the back of my mind,” said Zilisch on the Stacking Pennies Podcast of a possible F1 future. “Growing up it was my dream, I wanted to race F1. I went to Europe when I was a kid racing go-karts, it’s what I wanted to do. It’s just when I was younger, I didn’t really have the chance.

“Now with an American team [Cadillac] being brought to F1, having connections with Red Bull and being kinda tied in there, I’d say the chances aren’t zero.”

Cadillac is set to arrive on the F1 grid for the 2026 season, but Zilisch hopes to establish himself in NASCAR first. He is also looking for a multi-year commitment before he entertains the idea of switching codes, even after his karting career in Europe saw him win the CIK-FIA Karting Academy Trophy series in 2020.

“If it were to happen, I’d have to go over there for at least a year, two years probably to even get enough Super Licence points to qualify,” Zilisch declared. “I’d run F3… I’d just run a bunch of ‘BS’ series to get Super Licence points. Middle East F3, random things that you can do to get the points.

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“That’s why it would be such a big commitment. I’d want to get settled in here first and know that if I go over there for two years I could come back and still have a job.”

Zilisch is certainly intrigued by the idea of racing in different cars and series. He added: “I’m not the guy who cares to win 250 races in NASCAR like a Kyle Busch or care to go for a win record. I want to win a championship here and I want to be successful, but I want to experience different series and different cultures and what there is to explore in the world of motorsports.”

Zilisch is next in Xfinity Series action in the Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sat., July 26.

Honoring the 250th Anniversary of the United States Navy, all three of NASCAR’s premier divisions will tackle a street course race around Naval Base Coronado outside of San Diego, California.

NASCAR To Race At Naval Base Coronado, San Diego, in 2026 to Honor Navy’s 250th

To celebrate the United States Navy’s 250th anniversary, NASCAR is heading to San Diego for a historic first: all three national series—Cup, Xfinity, and Craftsman Truck—will compete on a street course built inside Naval Air Station North Island, part of Naval Base Coronado. The race weekend will be Father’s Day Weekend, June 19th-21st, 2026.

With Chicago’s Street Course off the 2026 schedule, rumors of a San Diego replacement gained traction. Now confirmed, the new event is more exciting than expected.

“As part of our nation’s 250th anniversary, we are honored for NASCAR to join the celebration as we host our first street race at a military base, Naval Base Coronado,” said NASCAR Senior Vice President Ben Kennedy. “NASCAR San Diego Weekend will honor the Navy’s history and the men and women who serve, as we take the best motorsports in the world to the streets of Naval Base Coronado.”

To announce the event, NASCAR released a Top Gun: Maverick-inspired video featuring Cup drivers Chase Elliott, William Byron, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, Noah Gragson, and Carson Hocevar.

Project: Race the Base.

We’re bringing a different kind of speed to @USNavy Base Coronado in 2026. pic.twitter.com/A3mRh2x8bN

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 23, 2025

The Track: Naval Air Station North Island

The street course will run through Naval Air Station North Island—the birthplace of naval aviation and a location made iconic by the Top Gun films. Naval Base Coronado spans nine installations across Southern California, from San Clemente Island to Long Beach.

NASCAR has not released the track layout yet, but parts of the track will include parts of the Naval Air Station’s tarmac. The length will roughly be 3 miles.

“NASCAR embodies the very best of the American spirit through speed, precision, and an unyielding pursuit of excellence,” said Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan. “Hosting a race on this base is more than a historic first—it’s a powerful tribute to shared values like grit, teamwork, and love of country.”

“Hosting one of America’s premier motorsports events on this historic base reflects our partnership with the local community and our shared pride in the nation’s heritage,” added Captain Loren Jacobi. “We are honored to showcase the dedication of our Sailors alongside NASCAR’s finest.”

What an exciting location, combining an active military base with a new NASCAR venue. This race will be an exciting one to attend, and has the potential to be massive for the sport.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will race on Friday, June 19th, 2026. The Xfinity Series will follow, racing on Saturday, June 20th. The Cup Series will race Sunday, June 21st.

Craftsman Truck Series coverage will be on Fox. Xfinity Series coverage on The CW. Cup Series coverage will be on Amazon Prime.

Tickets will go on sale in the fall on NASCAR San Diego’s website.

Last Word On Motorsports will continue to update fans on any updates to NASCAR’s San Diego Weekend.