Full 2025 NASCAR Cup Series standings under the new championship format

NASCAR made the announcement that the fanbase had been waiting years for, confirming the removal of the four-round, 10-race playoff format after 12 seasons and reintroducing an iteration of what was known as the Chase format from 2004 through 2013.

The regular season is still set to consist of 26 races, and the postseason/Chase is still set to consist of 10, but the 16 Chase drivers are set to consist of the top 16 drivers in regular season points; there is no more "win and in". However, wins are still extremely valuable, with NASCAR having boosted their value from 40 to 55 points.

And while playoff points have also been eliminated, drivers are set to start the Chase in the same order they finished the regular season, even after their point totals are reset. A full chart of those values, from first place down through 16th, can be found here.

We already broke down how the 16-driver Chase field would have looked had the 2026 format been implemented in 2025, and 14 of the 16 playoff drivers would have gotten in, with one being somewhat of a surprise, but also a major reminder of how important wins indeed still are.

Now we've gone a step further, adding 15 points to each regular season win, resetting the top 16 drivers ahead of the 10-race Chase using the new points reset format, and going through and adding 15 points to each Chase win.

Additionally, Championship 4 drivers were ineligible to score stage points in the Phoenix Raceway season finale. We have added the stages points those drivers – Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe, and William Byron – would have scored to their point totals, had they been eligible.

The result? An extremely tight, hotly contested championship battle that NASCAR couldn't manufacture with a knockout format if they tried.

Here's what the final 2025 standings would have looked like under the new format.

2025 NASCAR Cup Series standings using the Chase

NOTE: In the event of a regular season tie, the tiebreaker, for the purpose of the Chase reset, was given to the driver with more wins, just as NASCAR has done in the past. Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney were tied.

Of course, given the fact that Christopher Bell would have been champion without stage racing, these standings do beg the question as to whether or not stages should have the ability to influence a championship. Should running seventh instead of eighth, for instance, in the middle of a mid-April race really determine the champion?

It's the one element of the format that contradicts the whole "racing purity" argument, especially since the championship battle would be just as exciting either way.

But they also prove that, regardless of the controversial manner in which the 2025 season ended, Kyle Larson still earned the right to be crowned champion.

Regardless of any potential shortcomings, the new format is still widely considered an improvement over the previous format, and there actually would have been six drivers still mathematically in championship contention heading into the season finale, rather than just four.

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season is scheduled to begin on Sunday, February 15 with the Daytona 500, which is set to be shown live on Fox from Daytona International Speedway starting at 2:30 p.m. ET.