"CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR's nearly two-year study into an overhaul of its championship-deciding format concluded Monday with the reveal that in 2026 the stock car series will return to a 10-race version closely resembling the very first iteration introduced 22 years ago. The system will return to a 10-race format consisting of the top 16 drivers in the regular-season standings. There will be no driver eliminations every three races, winning will be incentivized and its name will return to "The Chase.""
"Changes slowly followed, with eliminations, an expanded field, a win-and-in guarantee and finally a winner-take-all season finale. Fans had grown weary of the changes. Regular-season victories guaranteed a slot in the 10-race playoffs, a win in any of the first three three-race rounds advanced a driver into the next round, while the bottom three drivers at the end of each round were eliminated. Finally, the winner was simply the highest-finishing driver among four remaining title contenders in the season finale."
NASCAR will return in 2026 to a 10-race playoff format called "The Chase," featuring the top 16 drivers from the regular-season standings. The format removes the previous three-race elimination rounds, incentivizes winning, and awards the championship to the driver with the most points at the Nov. 8 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The move responds to fan fatigue with incremental changes that had added eliminations, field expansions, a win-and-in guarantee and a winner-take-all finale. Controversy around a decisive late caution at Phoenix that altered the championship outcome contributed to the decision to overhaul the system.
Read at ESPN.com
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