“It’s going to be a nuclear meltdown if they don’t change the points the correct way,” Kevin Harvick said a few days ago. A debate about NASCAR’s one-race championship format has been raging for the past year, with people pressuring the playoff committee to bring about positive changes for 2026. But before the new year could arrive, we are all set for another wild battle on social media, after the latest showdown at the NASCAR Phoenix weekend.

The NASCAR Xfinity Series ran its season finale at the one-mile short track with much pomp and zest. Three JR Motorsports drivers were positioned against one Richard Childress Racing driver. Yet one narrative stuck out in fans’ minds, that of Connor Zilisch’s, and it resulted in heartbreak.

Xfinity’s NASCAR Phoenix event fans the flames

Connor Zi

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