NASCAR fans are already complaining that Kyle Larson is a “Chase merchant” because he is winning in the playoffs despite a poor regular season. This reaction was totally predictable and ignores the reality that the new format rewards drivers who perform best when it matters most. Larson ascended the ladder during the 2026 postseason’s first half while Denny Hamlin led in season-long points, triggering immediate backlash.
The Predictable Backlash to the Chase
People are acting surprised that fans are unhappy, but the grumbling was always going to happen. Even though many fans praised the return of the “Chase” postseason format, they are now quick to blame the rules when the results do not match their wishes. According to Beyond The Flag, the complaints focus on the idea that Larson “should already be eliminated” because he had a bad regular season and is nowhere near the full-season points lead.
The anger is directed at the system rather than the driver. Some fans insist that Denny Hamlin is the real champion because he had the best regular season. They call Larson a fraud, claiming he only wins because of the knockout-style setup. This ignores the fact that every driver plays by the same rules. The format is just the easiest thing to blame when the outcome is not what a fan wanted to see.
History shows this pattern repeats every year. When Joey Logano won the 2024 championship, critics said it was unfair that a five-overtime win over the last-place driver got him into the playoffs. They ignored that he still finished 15th, which would have qualified him under a strict points system. Ryan Blaney secured the 2023 title after placing 13th in the regular season, yet nobody uttered a single word. The same fans who called Logano a playoff merchant likely do not even know where Blaney finished that year.
Why Larson’s Surge Matters Now
There are still five races left in the playoff cycle, so the season is not over. Denny Hamlin can still win the championship, but jumping to conclusions about Larson’s performance shows why he is a threat. If the format was truly the problem, Larson would not be dominating when the stakes are highest. The real issue is that fans cannot accept that a driver might be better in the playoffs than in the regular season.
The disqualification that knocked out Alex Bowman earlier in the year proves that teams make mistakes. With four races remaining, an error by Hendrick Motorsports and the No. 48 team kept Logano alive, making the rules hard to blame. These specific events shape the championship field just as much as the points system does.
Austin Cindric is also showing that consistency at 1.5-mile tracks can flip a season. Per reports.com, “The No. 2 Ford was planted inside the top five for the duration of the race, finishing the race with a 3.39 average running position, Cindric’s best in 181 career Cup Series starts.” This kind of performance proves that the Chase format allows strong drivers to rise even if they had rough starts earlier in the year.
The Real Lesson for Fans
Fans actually have no genuine issue with any specific format, according to the broader reality. The problem is simply that they want their favorite driver to win. When the result is different, the format becomes the target. These critics believe the fault cannot lie with the driver or the team. When performance matters most, credit cannot be awarded to the driver and team who excel.
These complaints are just noise. The playoff surge is a test of skill, not a flaw in the system. Larson is winning because he is driving well in the final stretch. Fans who call him a fraud are ignoring the fact that the championship is decided by who performs best in the final races, not just who had the most points in September.
