Richard Petty Slams Road Courses and Playoff Gimmicks: 'Not Really NASCAR'
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Seven-time Cup Series champion Richard Petty has taken a bold stance against the sport's "if you win, you're in" policy while admitting that road courses are "not really NASCAR."
The NASCAR Hall of Famer's statements arrive after an eventful race weekend in Mexico City, where Shane van Gisbergen dominated the Cup Series race at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit and secured victory with a lead of 16.5 seconds over runner-up Christopher Bell.
In addition, van Gisbergen got lucky by securing a spot in the Cup Series playoffs since he won the race in Mexico. This, despite being ranked 30th in the standings. Petty called out this system and stressed that NASCAR will have to consider changing this rule.
Ty Gibbs, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, and Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #88 Safety Culture Chevrolet, lead the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez...
Ty Gibbs, driver of the #54 Monster Energy Toyota, and Shane Van Gisbergen, driver of the #88 Safety Culture Chevrolet, lead the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Viva Mexico 250 at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on June 15, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. MorePetty argued that securing a place in the playoffs, despite being 30th in the standings, all because of a race win, doesn't do justice to drivers way above in the championship standings without a Cup Series victory.
In addition, Petty admitted that he doesn't acknowledge road courses to be pure NASCAR. While there might not be much the sport could do about the second point, it could look into changing the way drivers secure their place in the playoffs.
Petty revealed his point while answering a question sent by one of his fans on X. The question was, "How do you feel about a guy who is 30th in points automatically qualifying for the championship?" Petty preferred to answer through a video. He said:
"The way they got this thing fixed, where if you win, you're in. That can't be right. You got somebody that's 30th in points that's going to make the playoffs. Hey man, what happened to the guy that 15th, or 16th, or 18th (that's) been running good (and) finished good everywhere?
"You're making a championship situation by winning a road course, which is not really NASCAR to begin with. From that standpoint, I think they're going to have to jockey around and change some of this kind of stuff."
FAN QUESTION: How do you feel about a guy who is 30th in points automatically qualifying for the championship?
Via Facebook user, Ronald Rhine.
Full Race Recap and more answers to fan questions tomorrow at 8am on the Petty Family Racing YouTube channel. pic.twitter.com/X6NqW887zA — Richard Petty (@therichardpetty) June 16, 2025
On the subject of the Mexico race, van Gisbergen revealed that he approached four-time Formula One world champion Max Verstappen for his advice ahead of the race weekend.
Verstappen is a five-time race winner at Mexico, making him the perfect source to know the fastest way around the circuit. Newsweek Sports reported van Gisbergen's comments after the race. He said:
"I just look for every advantage I can. I know he's raced here in the rain and he's a friend of mine, and I walked out on to pit road this morning and it was amazing how slick it was.
"Normally on a wet circuit the tarmac has grip and the white lines are slipperier. It was the opposite. It was like ice how slippery it was out there."
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