As per the latest announcement, NASCAR is going to use the Chase format once again for the Cup Series championship title. The playoff format is finally being dropped after much criticism from the fans and the dangerous drop in audience and viewership numbers. While NASCAR retains the schedules for the postseason and the regular season, it will no longer feature the three-race elimination system. Here’s all you need to know about the NASCAR Cup Series championship format for 2026 and beyond.

What changes has NASCAR announced for the 2026 points system?

NASCAR’s biggest change to the racing format is the points system. They will now increase the points earned for winning the race from 40 to 55 points per victory. It is done in order to encourage the drivers to win more and help them secure a good position for the NASCAR Chase during the final 10 races of the season.

For the drivers, this new incentive will be an added bonus that will make them want to win more races and not rely on short bursts of victorious performances. But there is a catch–there will be no more playoff points during the regular season.

After the regular season ended, the bonus points that drivers received earlier helped them stay safe during the initial races in the playoffs. This strategy won’t work anymore. The points will get reset in Chase, and the number of victories in the regular season will not provide any advantage.

As far as the stage wins are concerned, there will be no changes to the same. The drivers will still receive the same points for the stage wins.

There will also be a new points system for the Chase. Before the Chase starts, the drivers will get their points reset in the following order:

The regular season champion will start with 2100 points for the Chase. He will have a 25-point lead over second place in the standings. The third driver in the standings will start with 2065 points, and after him, the drivers will receive 5 fewer points for their position in the standings. So now, let’s look at how it has changed from the current system.

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How the 2026 NASCAR championship format differs from the current elimination system

The previous playoff format was more about securing the right victories at the right time. Earlier, drivers had to escape from being the last four in the playoff standings before the end of the stage. Three races comprised one stage, and the last four drivers were eliminated after every stage until the final race.

Now, with the 10-race Chase system, all 16 drivers will keep competing for the championship title until the final race of the season. It is going to be a straight-10-race championship. In simpler words, the top-16 drivers will be running their own championship in the final 10 races of the season, compared to the rest of the grid.

It essentially removes the elimination system that would sometimes rely more on luck than performance. It will also provide breathing room for small mistakes during the post-season without immediately affecting the chances of winning the championship.

How regular-season wins and stage wins impact 2026 playoff seeding

For every win, the drivers will now receive 55 points instead of the 40 points they used to receive earlier in the regular season. There will be no more playoff points as a bonus after their victories. So the impact of the regular-season wins and stage wins will only be a minor advantage compared to before.

Before the 2026 Chase system, an extra win after a playoff qualifying victory meant bonus points for the playoffs. It was a failsafe that urged the drivers to quickly win some races and carry a good point bonus into the playoffs. This way, they could ease out throughout the rest of the season and even the first few races in the playoffs.

The latest championship format will demand consistent performances from every driver, no matter the number of victories they have. There will also be no more ‘wildcard’ entries into the playoffs. Earlier, it was all about winning. If a driver won a race, it meant a guaranteed spot in the playoffs. Now, no matter the circumstances, only the top-16 drivers will advance into the NASCAR Playoffs.

This way, even if a driver misses out on a victory, he can still become a part of the playoffs through consistent results throughout the season.

Which NASCAR drivers and teams are likely to benefit or lose under the 2026 format

The newest championship format will affect the big and small teams in a different manner. Earlier, the high-performance outfits were able to churn out good results for each driver and ensure a spot in the playoffs. This meant that they could focus on one driver at a time during various stages of the regular season. It was a sure-fire method that eliminated intra-team battles and helped the bigger outfits ensure overall success.

When we look at the smaller teams–the previous format was a boon for them. They did not have enough resources to bring regular upgrades or consistently stay fast throughout the season. A victory in the regular season meant that they got the spotlight on them in the Championship battle later on.

A prime example of this is Ross Chastain and Trackhouse Racing. His wall-riding maneuver propelled him into the Championship Four and gave Trackhouse and Chastain much-needed exposure.

The newest format will be very unforgiving in this regard. The smaller teams will have to fight tooth and nail to stay alive in the regular season standings. Later on, they will most likely lose out or face complete domination by the top teams during the final 10 races. The bigger and more powerful teams will now have to focus more on both drivers at the same time.

Intra-team battles will become the norm, and sometimes, the top teams might lose a driver or two during the regular season owing to the intense competition for getting into the Chase.

As far as the drivers are concerned, they will not get any relaxation throughout the season. Let’s take Joey Logano, for example. In his three championship-winning campaigns, he has never gone for multiple victories. He had a very calm and calculated approach. He hardly won more than two races in the regular season. And ultimately, by performing better in the playoffs, he won his titles.

This type of driving will be snuffed out from 2026. Fortunately, it also means that there will be fewer heartbreaks from unlucky encounters. How are you feeling about the newest championship format revealed by NASCAR? Do you support it or would you like something different?