NASCAR Returns to its Roots: A New Format for the 2026 Championship
NASCAR has announced significant changes to its championship format for the 2026 season, following a study of almost two years. The stock car racing series will return to a 10-race format reminiscent of the first version introduced 22 years ago. The new system will include the top 16 drivers from the regular season. Eliminations will be eliminated every three races, victories will be incentivized, and the championship will be renamed “The Chase”. The champion will be the driver with the most points in the final on November 8 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.These changes respond to fan criticism of the periodic modifications to the system, which largely remained unchanged from its introduction in 2004 until 2013, when Jimmie Johnson won six of his seven championships. Subsequent changes included eliminations, an expanded field, a “win-and-get-in” guarantee, and, finally, a season finale where the winner took all. The fans had grown tired of these changes. Regular season wins guaranteed a playoff spot of 10 races, winning in any of the first three rounds advanced the driver to the next round, while the last three drivers at the end of each round were eliminated. Finally, the winner was simply the driver with the best position among the four remaining title contenders in the season finale.As NASCAR transitions to a revised championship model, the focus is on rewarding the performance of the driver and team in each race. At the same time, we want to honor NASCAR’s historic history and the traditions that have made the sport so special.
Steve O’Donnell, President of NASCAR
This system reached its breaking point in November, when Denny Hamlin dominated the race until a late caution changed the final sequence and Kyle Larson won his second title simply by finishing ahead of Hamlin, despite Larson not leading a single lap at Phoenix Raceway, while on a 25-race losing streak.
Hamlin had won two playoff races, a record of six Cup season wins, and led 208 of the 319 laps in Phoenix. He was in first place with three laps to go when a late caution changed the outcome and sent the race into overtime; Larson finished third, two places ahead of Hamlin, to automatically claim the championship. The changes announced on Monday were already underway and occurred after an extensive review that included collaboration between owners, drivers, car manufacturers, tracks, broadcast partners, and fans. The new format is designed to reinforce the importance of each race and reward consistency, while maintaining the importance of winning. It will be known by its original name, “The Chase”, with an also accepted use of “postseason”. NASCAR is eliminating the nomenclature “playoffs” and “regular season champion”. From now on, the driver with the most points after the postseason final will be champion in the three NASCAR national series. The Chase will consist of the last 10 races for the Cup Series. NASCAR has eliminated the automatic playoff spot earned by winning during the regular season, a move designed to increase the importance of each event on the calendar and emphasize consistency throughout the regular season. The victory in a race will now award the winning driver 55 points, up from the previous 40 points, to reward drivers who fight for victories instead of settling for solid points days. NASCAR hopes this will encourage aggressive racing and solid team performance. The points for all other positions, including stage points, remain the same. The points leader after the regular season will receive a 25-point advantage over the second seed, as the points will be reset for the 16 Chase drivers. Winning a playoff race no longer grants automatic advancement to the next round, a measure that NASCAR says prevents teams from using the rest of that particular round as preparation time for the final.
