Top five moments from NASCAR's former playoff format

3. Matt Kenseth junks Joey Logano at Martinsville

A few weeks before the 2015 Round of 8 opener at Martinsville Speedway, Joey Logano had spun Matt Kenseth in a playoff race at Kansas Speedway. Kenseth, who would've advanced to the Round of 8 with a win in said Kansas race, remembered Logano's actions.

Logano had swept the three races — Charlotte, Kansas, Talladega — in the previous round and was perceived as the championship favorite. That was until Kenseth, who rarely lost his cool, let his frustrations show at 'The Paperclip.' 

Going into Turn 1 with 47 laps to go, Kenseth — who had wrecked earlier and was well out of contention — junked Logano, ending his race and ultimately, his title hopes. The Turn 1 crowd at Martinsville Speedway roared their approval as Logano hit the Turn 1 wall, and while Kenseth calmly got out of his wrecked race car, to what was likely his highest-ever approval rating as a driver.

2. Jeff Gordon's final win earns a Championship 4 berth (2015)

Later on that same afternoon at Martinsville, four-time champion Jeff Gordon got a similar ovation from the crowd. 

In his final season, Gordon had been largely pedestrian. But the Martinsville master turned in one final gem at the half-mile track, holding on to win after a green-white-checkered restart. The victory propelled him to the Championship 4, giving his fans one final shot to see the Hall of Famer race for a title. 

He eventually lost the title to Busch, but Gordon conquered Martinsville for a ninth time and earned his 93rd and final career win in unforgettable fashion.

1. The 'Hail Melon' (2022)

There's just something special about Martinsville Speedway, which once again was the site of NASCAR history in 2022. 

On the final lap of the 2022 Xfinity 500, Ross Chastain needed to pick up two points to advance to the Championship 4. Left with no other options, he decided to keep his foot to the floor in Turns 3 and 4, riding the wall in a video game move. 

Somehow, it worked. 

Chastain advanced to the Championship 4 in what was dubbed as the "Hail Melon" — referencing his background as a watermelon farmer.