NASCAR back to (old) school this weekend

Twelve years is how long the end-of-season playoff format lasted to determine who the champion is in NASCAR Cup Series. From Kevin Harvick to Kyle Larson, the year-end winners had to be at their absolute best at key moments, with three elimination rounds in the final ten races, setting the stage for a four-driver final. This system drew criticism for several years, prompting NASCAR to revert to the previous format.

The "Chase," a format introduced in 2004 to inject some excitement into the end of a 36-race season that was often decided before the final round, returns this season. The 16 best drivers from the regular season (based on points, regardless of whether they won a regular season race) will compete in the final ten races for the title. This represents a compromise for NASCAR between the desires of purists, who wanted a return to the format where the champion is the driver with the most points after 36 races, and the few proponents of playoffs.

Motorsports are not like other American sports (football, baseball, etc.), and an elimination playoff system is not suitable. The return of the Charlotte Motor Speedway in October, replacing the Roval (a road course laid out inside the oval), is another step backward that NASCAR is taking, aware of the need to win back its historical audience, as the new generation hasn't necessarily taken to the nation's number one motorsports despite numerous overtures in recent years (playoffs, in-race segments, etc.).

Connor Zilisch, the new star

Defeated by Jesse Love for the second division title in 2025 (despite eleven victories), Connor Zilisch was one of the big losers of the playoff system introduced in 2014. This hasn't stopped him from making his full-time Cup Series debut this year, surrounded by immense expectations. A year after Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing fields another rising star in the #88 Chevrolet.

At 19, Zilisch is best positioned to challenge his New Zealand teammate in road course racing, given his five consecutive victories in this type of event. However, his remarkable Xfinity Series season (18 consecutive top-five finishes, a new record) also positions him as a serious contender on ovals in his very first season.

Winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring in LMP2 at just 17 years old, Connor Zilisch is proof that talent knows no age, and the Charlotte, North Carolina native can already be expected to be a contender in the Chase in his very first season. However, he isn't putting any pressure on himself ahead of this highly anticipated debut season.

"I'm looking forward to learning and having fun on the track. I also know it won't be as easy as last year, but I'm ready to face it." And we are ready to follow him!