'It's an embarrassment': NASCAR champion slams playoff format if Corey Heim, Connor Zilisch fail to win championships

The two young stars have had historic seasons, so anything less than a title would be a major disappointment. Heim is coming off his record-extending 11th win of the season at Martinsville. Two races prior, he locked himself into the Championship 4 with a series-record 10th victory at the Charlotte Roval, surpassing Greg Biffle's previous mark for wins in a single season.

Zilisch has been just as impressive, setting the Xfinity Series rookie record with 10 wins this season and achieving a series-record 18 consecutive top-five finishes. That type of success from both drivers is why Harvick believes a change needs to be made to the format.

"My biggest thing is if we're going to have a playoffs, you better make the points matter as much as possible or these people are going to eat you up," Harvick continued. "Having the biggest sample size that you can in those playoffs for the points, you better have that because if those two guys don't win the championship, it's an embarrassment."

Harvick wants the points to matter over the course of an entire season and does not like the possibility of something random deciding who wins a title. He also went on to note that, unlike other professional sports, there is a larger sample size of games compared to just the one title race for the three national series in NASCAR.

The dominance displayed by Heim and Zilisch this season highlights that exact scenario as both could easily leave Phoenix empty-handed despite being the best in their respective series.

However, that is the way the current format is and why there has been so much debate about potential changes that could be on the way following the season. 

It remains to be seen how things will play out for Heim and Zilisch this weekend, but it is fair to say Harvick has made his feelings about this playoff system known and will not be pleased if they do not win their championships.