After more than a decade defined by elimination rounds and winner-take-all finales, NASCAR is officially closing the bracket and returning to its roots. Beginning in 2026, NASCAR will reintroduce The Chase championship format across all three national series, ushering in a postseason model designed to reward season-long consistency while maintaining the importance of winning.

The announcement was made Monday afternoon at the NASCAR Productions Facility, confirming that the NASCAR Cup Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and Craftsman Truck Series will all move away from the elimination-style playoff system. The change also ends the one-race championship format that has been in place since 2014 in the Cup Series and since 2016 in both the O’Reilly and Truck Series.

NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell said the shift reflects a larger vision for the sport’s future while honoring its past.

“The biggest thing was looking at who we wanted to be as a sport going forward,” O’Donnell said. “That included really a focus on our core fan base — the fans who have been with us for a long time and helped get the sport to where it is today. We wanted our future format to reflect that.”

A Modernized Take on a Familiar Format

While The Chase returns, it does so with several key modifications from its previous version. The new structure is designed to create a larger championship sample size, simplify the postseason, and reward performance across the entire season.

The number of drivers advancing to the postseason remains unchanged from the elimination era. Sixteen drivers will qualify for The Chase in the Cup Series, 12 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and 10 in the Craftsman Truck Series. However, how drivers qualify for the postseason will change significantly.

Qualification will now be based strictly on regular-season points standings. The “win-and-you’re-in” provision, which granted automatic playoff berths to race winners regardless of overall performance, has been eliminated. The top drivers in points following the regular-season finale will advance to The Chase in each respective series.

Once the postseason begins, there will be no eliminations. Drivers will compete across the full Chase schedule, and the championship will be awarded to the driver with the most points at the conclusion of the season.

The length of The Chase varies by series. The Cup Series will feature 10 Chase races following a 26-race regular season. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will contest nine Chase races, while the Craftsman Truck Series will have seven.

Points Structure and Reseeding

One of the most notable changes is the updated points structure. Race wins will now be worth 55 points, a significant increase from the previous 40-point payout. Points for finishing positions behind the winner remain the same, as do stage points, with the intent of encouraging drivers and teams to race aggressively for victories rather than simply settling for consistent points days.

Bankable playoff points have been eliminated, further simplifying the system and ensuring every race carries equal weight.

Points will be reseeded once at the start of The Chase, based on regular-season standings. In the Cup Series, the reseeded points structure is as follows:

1st: 2,100 2nd: 2,075 3rd: 2,065 4th: 2,060 5th: 2,055 6th: 2,050 7th: 2,045 8th: 2,040 9th: 2,035 10th: 2,030 11th: 2,025 12th: 2,020 13th: 2,015 14th: 2,010 15th: 2,005 16th: 2,000

The regular-season champion will receive a 25-point advantage over the second seed, recognizing sustained excellence across the entire regular season. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series will follow the same seeding structure, adjusted to their respective field sizes.

Why NASCAR Made the Change

O’Donnell said that “everything was on the table” during the evaluation process. NASCAR explored options ranging from minor tweaks to the elimination system to a full-season championship without playoffs.

A Playoff Committee composed of owners, drivers, OEMs, tracks, broadcast partners, and industry stakeholders — led by NASCAR executive vice president and chief brand officer Tim Clark — met regularly to assess the sport’s direction. Fan feedback also played a central role in shaping the final decision.

What emerged was a format built around three guiding principles:

Creating a larger sample size to determine the championship Increasing the importance of every race Rewarding consistency while maintaining the importance of winning

“As discussions continued, we wanted something fans would embrace,” O’Donnell said. “We wanted it to reward consistency through all 36 races, but we didn’t want winning to go away. We believe where we landed is the best of both worlds.”

Lessons From Recent Championships

Last season’s championship races at Phoenix Raceway placed renewed scrutiny on the winner-take-all model. Truck Series champion Corey Heim secured his title with a dramatic overtime restart, while season-long contenders Denny Hamlin (Cup Series) and Connor Zilisch (O’Reilly Series) finished runner-up after coming up short in the final race.

O’Donnell said those outcomes didn’t directly prompt the change but helped reinforce the need for a simpler, more representative championship format.

“There’s incredible drama in a one-race championship,” O’Donnell said. “But when you look at everything that can happen in a single race, it felt like the industry and the fans were ready for something that better reflects a full season.”

Simplicity at the Core

Simplifying the championship format was a central goal throughout the review process.

“One of the questions we asked was, can you explain this in an elevator ride?” O’Donnell said. “Now, it’s one points system. You reset for the final races. Whoever has the most points at the end is the champion. It’s easy to understand.”

Looking Ahead

The Chase will officially return in September 2026. The Cup Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will begin their postseasons on Labor Day weekend at Darlington Raceway, while the Craftsman Truck Series Chase will open two weeks later at Bristol Motor Speedway. NASCAR officials hope to align the postseason schedules even more closely in future seasons.

O’Donnell emphasized that the collaborative effort behind the decision was key to reaching a solution the sport can rally around.

“We’ve been here before, yes,” he said. “But we’ve tweaked it, improved it, and put it in a position we believe fans will embrace. More importantly, it’s something our entire industry can stand behind.”