If you’re like the vast, vocal majority, you haven’t been thrilled with NASCAR as of late. Questionable officiating and a championship format that aged like warm milk in the Sahara. But NASCAR has been making some serious changes for the 2026 season.
NASCAR has changed the car, added more power, and made some non-visual changes. Their Commissioner has gone, and now the big one. The format.
Since the 2014 season, NASCAR has rocked the elimination style Playoff format. The format has gifted us some of the most fantastic finishes in NASCAR’s 76-year history. The demand for win and you’re in has created more than moments; it’s created memories. From “Winning the damn war” to 7 wide for a Truck Series title and so many others, love it or hate it, we owe the Playoff format for these moments. All of this despite fans seeing it as an utter failure of a format over the last two or three years.
The All-New 2026 NASCAR Format
With the death of the Playoffs, we see the 10-race Chase for the Bill France Cup return.
Although “win and you’re in” is gone, winning is still uber important in NASCAR; with that said, Points for a win have gone from 40 to 55. The points will be reset to 2100 points following the end of the 2026 Regular Season, with the points leader moving into the Chase, 25 points over 2nd and 35 points over 3rd.
The key takeaways from this are as follows;
- A larger sample size for a championship
- Bolster the importance of each race
- Rewarding consistency while maintaining the importance of winning
O’Reilly and Craftsman Series
The Craftsman Truck Series will feature 10 drivers over a 7-race Chase. The O’Reilly Auto Parts Series will feature 12 drivers over a 9-race Chase.
Chase Points Reset
- 1st: 2100
- 2nd: 2075
- 3rd: 2065
- 4th: 2060
- 5th: 2055
- 6th: 2050
- 7th: 2045
- 8th: 2040
- 9th: 2035
- 10th: 2030 -(Craftsman Truck Series)
- 11th: 2025
- 12th: 2020 -(O’Reilly AP Series)
- 13th: 2015
- 14th: 2010
- 15th: 2005
- 16th: 2000 -(Cup)
Image Credit: Patrick Vallely
