With the charter dispute now behind them, NASCAR’s long-simmering playoff controversy has once again boiled over, but this time the anger isn’t aimed solely at the sanctioning body.
Instead, fans have turned their ire toward prominent media voices seen as extensions of Charlotte’s inner circle. Accused of stifling legitimate criticism and shielding what many view as the sport’s most flawed and unjust playoff system, these Charlotte-based loyalists have become lightning rods for backlash.
The latest target? Veteran NASCAR stalwart Dave Moody, better known to listeners as “The Godfather.”
NASCAR Nation Shows No Chill, Goes Scorched Earth on Dave Moody Over Alleged Hypocrisy
For years, Moody has been one of the most recognizable voices in NASCAR media, a fixture on SiriusXM (currently the lead voice-over at MRN), and a self-styled authority on the sport’s culture and direction.
However, as frustration over the playoff format resurfaces, particularly among longtime fans who favor a season-long meritocracy over manufactured drama, Moody’s tone and approach have placed him squarely in the crosshairs.
The backlash intensified after fans accused Moody of dismissing or outright shutting down criticism of the playoff system, often framing dissent as noise from an uninformed or overly nostalgic fan base. To many, it felt less like debate and more like gatekeeping, protecting NASCAR’s preferred narrative rather than engaging honestly with legitimate concerns.
There’s a certain irony to the backlash when considered in light of Moody’s own long-stated philosophy on sports talk radio. In a quote (via The Kenny Wallace Show) that’s been making the rounds again, he once laid it out bluntly:
“You have to have strong opinions, you have to defend your opinions strongly, and you can’t really care whether people agree with you or not… half of them are going to hate you, half of them are going to love you.”
He didn’t stop there, adding that no one lasts in the business without standing by their views “to the death” and, as he put it, “pissing people off on a fairly regular basis.” This take set off an avalanche of reactions across social media,
“This is rich coming from him,” one fan wrote. “Strong opinions are fine…. As long as they don’t differ from his. The ultimate Nascar shill.”
Others echoed similar frustrations, pointing not at Moody’s opinions themselves, but at how dissent is handled – “For someone with such “strong opinions” he sure blocks just about anyone with differing opinions on here…,” wrote one fan with contempt.
Some reactions were far more blunt, accusing Moody of arrogance and hypocrisy while questioning his standing within the sport’s media landscape. Although harsh in tone, the underlying criticism followed a consistent theme: fans feel talked down to, rather than talked with.
“He is the biggest POS in all sports. He thinks he’s more important than he is, if you have a different opinion he tries to degrade you and act like he’s so much smarter. Disgusting fat a** loser. Who’s probably the biggest dumb a** in all of nascar media. Nobody likes him.”
As the comments continued to pile up, a more measured line of critique emerged – “That may be true, but he sure does ban anyone on here who questions them.”
Others framed the issue less emotionally and more philosophically, “Strong opinions may keep you on talk radio, but accountability keeps you credible. Too often, when Dave Moody and other SiriusXM hosts are wrong, and fans point it out, the response isn’t conversation, it’s a block button.”
Taken together, the backlash paints a clear picture of why Moody has become such a lightning rod in the renewed playoff debate. For many fans, the frustration isn’t about disagreeing with a radio host; it’s about feeling shut out/ignored from the conversation entirely.
