NASCAR's 'Chase' returns: What fans
need to know about the 2026 format
[January 13, 2026]
By JENNA FRYER
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR's nearly two-year study into an
overhaul of its championship-deciding format concluded Monday with
the reveal that in 2026 the stock car series will return to a
10-race version closely resembling the very first iteration
introduced 22 years ago.
The system will return to a 10-race format consisting of the top 16
drivers in the regular-season standings. There will be no driver
eliminations every three races, winning will be incentivized and its
name will return to “The Chase.” The driver with the most points at
the Nov. 8 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be the champion.
“As NASCAR transitions to a revised championship model, the focus is
on rewarding driver and team performance each and every race,”
NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell said. “At the same time, we want to
honor NASCAR’s storied history and the traditions that have made the
sport so special.
“Our fans are at the heart of everything we do, and this format is
designed to honor their passion every single race weekend.”
The changes come amidst fan complaints to periodic tweaks over
changes to the system that was largely unchanged from its 2004
introduction to 2013, when Jimmie Johnson won six of his
record-tying seven championships.
Changes slowly followed, with eliminations, an expanded field, a
win-and-in guarantee and finally a winner-take-all season finale.
Fans had grown weary of the changes. Regular-season victories
guaranteed a slot in the 10-race playoffs, a win in any of the first
three three-race rounds advanced a driver into the next round, while
the bottom three drivers at the end of each round were eliminated.
Finally, the winner was simply the highest-finishing driver among
four remaining title contenders in the season finale.
The tipping point
That 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 by simply finishing ahead of
Hamlin despite Larson not leading a single lap at Phoenix Raceway
while mired in a 25-race losing streak.
Hamlin had won two playoff races — a Cup Series high six victories
on the season — and led 208 of the 319 laps at Phoenix. He was the
leader with three to go when a late caution changed the outcome and
sent the race into overtime; Larson finished third, two spots ahead
of Hamlin, to automatically claim the championship.
It wasn't the only race on the final weekend of 2025 that didn't
finish as expected.
Corey Heim had 11 victories at the start of the Truck Series finale
at Phoenix but needed to dip his truck low in an outrageous
seven-wide scramble in overtime to secure the title. He did pull out
the win and NASCAR dodged the controversy of the most consistent
driver being denied a championship because of a gimmicky format.
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Joey Logano celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series
Championship auto race for the championship at Phoenix Raceway,
Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024, in Avondale, Ariz. (AP Photo/John Locher,
File)
NASCAR wasn’t so fortunate the next night in the
Xfinity Series when 10-race winner Connor Zilisch lost the
championship because Jesse Love won the race. Love opened the season
with a win at Daytona and closed it with a win at Phoenix — his only
two victories of the season but good enough in that format for a
championship.
Fan discourse — which had been building for several years and
intensified after Joey Logano won two titles in three years
including in 2024 when he advanced on another's driver elimination —
exploded after Hamlin.
The changes announced Monday were already in the works and came
after an extensive review that included collaboration between
owners, drivers, automobile manufacturers, tracks, broadcast
partners, and fans.
“Going into Phoenix was a hold your breath moment,” O'Donnell said.
“We recognize someone winning the championship, absolutely they won
it by the rules. But was it the best format that we could go with?
The tide had turned in the garage.”
The new format is designed to bolster the importance of each race
and reward consistency while maintaining the importance of winning.
It will be known as its original name, ‘The Chase,’ with an also
accepted use of ‘postseason,’ NASCAR is eliminating the vernacular
’playoffs' and ‘regular-season champion.’
NASCAR's new format
Moving forward, the driver with the most points after the postseason
finale will be champion in all three NASCAR national series. The
Chase will comprise of the final 10 races for the Cup Series.
NASCAR has eliminated the automatic berth into the playoff field
earned by winning during the regular season, a move designed to
increase the importance of every event on the schedule and emphasize
consistency throughout the regular season.
A race victory win will now earn the winning driver 55 points, up
from 40 points, to reward drivers who battle for wins instead of
settling for a solid points days. NASCAR hopes it encourages
aggressive racing and strong team performance.
Points for all other positions, including stage points, remain the
same.
The points leader after the regular season will receive a 25-point
cushion over the second seed as the points will be reset for the 16
Chase drivers. A win in a playoff race no longer earns the automatic
advancement into the next round — a move NASCAR says prevents teams
from using the remainder of that particular round as preparation
time for the finale.
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