NASCAR is returning to the "Chase" system to decide its champion

Controversial since their arrival in 2014, the playoffs of the NASCAR The Cup Series will therefore have lasted for about twelve seasons before being replaced at the start of the 2026 season. The American championship has officially confirmed the abandonment of the format in these three national series. With the playoffs, some contenders were eliminated after three, six, and nine races in the Cup Series, leaving only a quartet to battle for the title in the final race. The first of the four to cross the finish line became champion.

Without reverting to the 2003 format, where the champion was simply the driver with the most points after the 36 races of the season, NASCAR decided to return to the "Chase" system, dividing the season into two parts: the regular season for the first 26 races, and the Chase for the last ten. The 16 drivers with the most points in the first 26 races qualify for the Chase, and these drivers will be the ones to win the title in the final ten races.

The points awarded to the top 16 drivers in the championship will increase, reaching 2,000 points for the 16th-placed driver and 2,100 for the championship leader. The points awarded for positions between first and 16th will therefore logically decrease, eventually reaching 2,000 for 16th place. This effectively marks the start of a new ten-race championship, but the top drivers from the first 26 rounds will have a clear advantage over the rest of the field.

To continue rewarding victory, the race points system has also been modified, now awarding 55 points to the winner, up from 40 previously, before the addition of bonus points for leading a lap, leading the most laps, or setting the fastest lap. Thus, if positions 2 through 40 are separated by only one point, the winner will score at least 16 points more than the runner-up, motivating drivers to push hard in the final laps for the win, while maintaining consistency as the primary criterion for becoming a NASCAR Cup Series champion.

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