What Playoff Format Should NASCAR Use?
The NASCAR Playoffs will have a new look in 2026. For the first time since its implementation in 2014, the one-race Championship Four round will not exist, though championship weekend will return to Homestead-Miami. A lot of speculation surrounded what new format NASCAR would adopt for 2026, knowing it would change one way or another. Many wanted the points system to return to the original full-season, 36-race format, but in today’s entertainment-driven, playoff-first sports world, that seemed like a long shot. Among the circulated ideas, I had some thoughts and an idea of my own.
Full Season Format
Going back to how it all started would satisfy all the purists out there, and frankly, this is what I’d like to see, but it just won’t happen. Motorsports are different from regular sports, as competitors face each other every week. In the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and every other sport, only two teams face off in a game. It isn’t one team against 31 others, but it is that way in racing. With everyone going head-to-head against one another all the time, there shouldn’t be a reason to need a playoff format, as it all gets decided right there. Sure, the playoffs have drama, but they give the whole thing a luck-based, manufactured feel rather than focusing on what happens at the front of the field and on those who perform well week in and week out.
10 Race Chase
Of the Playoff formats NASCAR has used, I do like how the original 10-race Chase for the Cup worked. Only the top 10 drivers in points made it, and it acted as a 10-race mini-season at the end of the year. Granted, it saw Jimmie Johnson win five titles in a row, but that gave the sport a superstar that everyone had to try to stop. The point reset was a little extreme, so if this format ever does return, I’d like to see those who finished higher in the regular season get more of a cushion to begin the Chase for the Cup, meaning more bonus points for higher point finishers and higher incentives for race wins to keep things fair.
The 3-3-4 format
The potential new format for next year is the 3-3-4 format, which will keep the regular season the same, with the win-and-in format still in effect, and 16 drivers will qualify. The main difference is the elimination of the Championship Four entirely and the one-race, winner-take-all finale. Instead, the Round of Eight would be four races, rather than three, and there would be no elimination down to four. That part I do like, but keeping the win-and-in portion still makes me a little leery, as drivers much lower in points could luck their way into a win and the playoffs. Having only points play out for the final four races and top eight drivers to that point does seem like a silver lining to keeping a playoff format, sort of acting like a compromise to keep NASCAR, the networks, drivers, and fans somewhat content with what is in play.
My Idea: A 5-5 playoff
As someone who wants a full-season format but knows the playoffs will likely never leave, I give you the 5-5 playoff format. The 5-5 format invites the top 12 drivers plus four wild cards based on the drivers with the most wins outside of the top dozen in points, keeping the field at 16. This way, it ensures the best, most consistent drivers are guaranteed a spot at the table and still allows for some outsiders to have a shot at it all. For the points reset, playoff points would be awarded for race and stage wins.
Currently, one point is awarded for a stage win and five for a race win, with no other positions receiving any points. I would change this slightly, giving 10 playoff points for a race win, five for second place, and one for third, but keep it as one point for a stage win. I’d also add to the playoff points given at the end of the season: 25 for first, 20 for second, 15 for third, 12 for fourth, 10 for fifth, eight for sixth, six for seventh, four for eighth, two for ninth, and one for 10th. After the first five races of the Playoffs, the bottom eight in points are eliminated, and the top eight move on. The points would reset with the playoff points accumulated through the regular season and the first five playoff races. Then, it’s a five-race point battle between the top eight to become a champion.
