NASCAR fans had been waiting for more than a decade for this past offseason's announcement to confirm the end of the four-round, 10-race knockout playoff format. Instead, the "Chase" is back, with some small tweaks made to the format that was used from 2004 to 2013.
There are still set to be 16 drivers in the playoffs, just as there were from 2014 to 2025, but the key changes here are that the playoffs are set to consist of only a single 10-race round, and the 16 playoff drivers are set to be determined strictly by points.
"Win and in" is a thing of the past, which is arguably (and ironically) the biggest "win" for NASCAR fans.
This NASCAR driver would have gotten screwed by the new playoff format
Yet oddly enough, even if you go back and look at the top 16 drivers in the 2025 regular season standings, not all 16 of them would have qualified for the playoffs under the new format.
RFK Racing teammates Chris Buescher (11th) and Ryan Preece (14th) certainly would have, even after missing out in 2025. But not Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs, even though he finished 16th.
Why? Because to make up for the elimination of "win and in", NASCAR boosted the value of race victories from 40 points to 55, without changing any other point values.
Wood Brothers Racing's Josh Berry was 21st in the regular season standings and made the playoffs thanks to his win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But even with an extra 15 points, he would have only been 20th.
Richard Childress Racing's Austin Dillon was 26th and made the playoffs thanks to his win at Richmond Raceway. But even with an extra 15 points, he would have only been 25th.
But what about Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen?
He was 25th with 485 points and won four times, tied for the most in the series during the regular season. But with an extra 60 points, he would have catapulted all the way up to 545.
With Gibbs having scored just 543, it would have been van Gisbergen, not Gibbs, in the Chase's 16th and final spot, had this format been implemented in 2025.
Gibbs would have been the top driver on the outside looking in, locked into a 10-week battle for 17th place rather than a 10-week battle for the championship. He still would have been closer to qualifying for the postseason than he actually was in 2025, but he wouldn't have made it in either way.
This 26-race 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season is scheduled to continue on Sunday, March 15 with the Pennzoil 400, which is set to be shown live on Fox Sports 1 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway beginning at 4:00 p.m. ET. Begin a free trial of FuboTV now and catch all of the action!