With NASCAR set to bring back the Chase postseason format, every single lap in every single race is set to matter far more than it did during the 12 years of the four-round, 10-race knockout playoff format, and that goes for the 26-race regular season as well.
Yet one of the questions when NASCAR announced five major changes to the postseason format for 2026 was whether or not playoff waivers would work the same way they did during the Championship 4.
If a driver missed a race, he could apply for a waiver to remain eligible for the postseason, since technically NASCAR required competitors to run all 26 regular season races to remain playoff eligible.
NASCAR could approve that waiver, deny that waiver, or, beginning in 2025, approve it while stripping the affected driver of all playoff points before the playoffs, effectively putting them at a disadvantage if they did indeed qualify for the postseason. The third option was designated for cases in which the absence was not NASCAR-approved or initiated.
Seeing as how the only bonuses ahead of the Chase are based on the regular season standings, and there is no more "win and in", the obvious solution for NASCAR was to keep the waiver system in place.
Missing a race and scoring zero points is penalty enough, and a driver shouldn't be stripped of championship eligibility just because he missed a race. Nobody is missing races just for the sake of missing races to begin with, and if you still make it in despite competing in fewer races than everybody else, more power to you.
NASCAR has kept this policy in place, which was a bit of a no-brainer.
They did, however, make one change to make the policy less strict. And it would have affected the 2025 playoffs in one national series.
In 2025, suspensions were not considered NASCAR-approved or initiated absences. Richard Childress Racing's Austin Hill was suspended for the Xfinity Series race at Iowa Speedway after hooking Joe Gibbs Racing's Aric Almirola in the right rear at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and while he was granted a waiver, he was forced to start the playoffs with 2,000 points, rather than the 2,027 he would have had, if he had been allowed to keep his 27 playoff points.
He ended up missing the transfer from the round of 12 to the round of 8 by 21 points.
In 2026, suspensions are now to be considered NASCAR-initiated absences. Let's say, for instance, a driver finishes eighth in the regular season Cup Series standings to clinch a Chase spot, but he was suspended for a race earlier in the season. He is still set to start the Chase with 2,040 points, rather than 2,000.
With his win at Talladega Superspeedway in the round of 8, Hill would have gone on to the Championship 4 for the second consecutive season had this rule been in place a year ago, though he still would have fallen shy of the championship. He would have replaced JR Motorsports' Carson Kvapil in the battle for the title.
In the event a driver is granted a waiver for a reason other than a NASCAR-approved or initiated absence, he would still start the Chase with 2,000 points in the Cup Series, 2,020 in the Truck Series, or 2,030 in the O'Reilly Auto Parts (formerly Xfinity) Series, placing him in a last-place tie in the standings to begin the postseason regardless of his actual regular season standings position.
Daytona International Speedway is scheduled to get the 2026 Truck Series, O'Reilly Series, and Cup Series seasons underway on Friday, February 13; Saturday, February 14; and Sunday, February 15, respectively. Start a free trial of FuboTV and don't miss any of the action this year!