NASCAR Expected to Announce Return of 'Chase' Style Championship Format for 2026 Cup Series Season

EDDIE KALEGI - STAFF WRITER

The NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy. (Photo Credit: @nascaronnbc Instagram, November 2024)

NASCAR leadership has scheduled a press conference for Monday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. to announce “the championship format for 2026 and beyond.” Multiple sources tell Motorsports Today that the sport is expected to revert back to its ‘Chase’ era postseason structure, bringing an end to the current elimination-style playoffs and the one race, winner-take-all finale.

Sources within the industry say the NASCAR Cup Series postseason will maintain its 10-race length that has held true since 2004, but with a greater emphasis on points and with the absence of rounds, eliminations, and multiple points resets.

It is currently unknown how many drivers will be eligible for the new ‘Chase,’ whether there will be a “win and in” caveat, and whether this will change stage racing, which has existed in NASCAR since 2017. All of this is anticipated to be revealed to the public Monday.

It also remains to be seen whether this format will be adopted across all three national series or be exclusive to Cup. It’s worth noting that when NASCAR implemented the elimination-style playoffs in 2014, they were initially only utilized in what was then the Sprint Cup Series. The sport’s secondary and tertiary divisions, now called the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series respectively, maintained full season points until the 2016 season.

The expected alteration is seen by many as a happy medium between fans who want a return to those aforementioned full season points from NASCAR’s golden era, and those who want a postseason format to produce clutch moments comparable to stick-and-ball sports.

The decision comes after consecutive controversial endings to NASCAR seasons under the old format. In 2024, Joey Logano claimed his third NASCAR Cup Series championship despite finishing 15th in the regular season standings and only qualifying for the postseason because of a fuel-saving masterclass to win at Nashville Superspeedway earlier that summer.

Then this past fall, rookie standout Connor Zilisch, who amassed an astounding 10 victories in what was then the NASCAR Xfinity Series, finished behind Jesse Love at Phoenix Raceway, costing him a championship. One day later, Kyle Larson deservedly captured the Cup Series title after scoring the most points all season, but the victory was still sour after Larson was the beneficiary of a caution brought out by teammate William Byron, and a subsequent overtime restart to settle the championship, costing Denny Hamlin yet another shot at an elusive first title in gut-wrenching fashion.

NASCAR as a whole is also in the midst of a significant transitional period this offseason, as Monday’s announcement follows the settlement of a year-long antitrust lawsuit over charter negotiations with Cup Series teams 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, as well as the departure of Commissioner Steve Phelps just last week.

NASCAR’s unveiling of its new championship format can be watched Monday afternoon here. Then, stay tuned for our first episode of 2026 of Motorsports Today at 7:00 p.m. Watch live on TikTok, or catch it after on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.