Crowning a NASCAR Champion used to be simple in the Golden Era. Remember the time Dale Earnhardt Sr. clinched the 1987 Winston Cup championship with two races remaining? He had secured the title with a 515-point lead, becoming the third-ever driver in NASCAR history to clinch the championships with two races to go. But with massive changes over the decades to the playoff systems, the winner-takes-all finale has been deeply scrutinized. And now, NASCAR is weighing a major shakeup for 2026 that could return to a full-season point system after over 20 years.

At the most recent meeting of the NASCAR Playoff committee on September 17, that idea had gained considerable support. The brain trust, drivers, team owners, track officials, and media folks tossed around ideas that could shake up the sport. Mike Forde, NASCAR director of communications, hinted that some committee members were giddy at the thought, arguing it would reward consistency and truly crown the most deserving driver over the long haul.

Speaking on the most recent Dale Junior’s DJD podcast, the veteran is more than convinced that the 36-championship is set to make a comeback. He said, “Yes, it’s happening. Yes, I’m seeing it. Yes, some people are talking about it. Yes, there’s a Reddit conversation around it. But is it really a big deal? Is it really something that’s happening in the industry? …And this is one of those things. We don’t really know how serious NASCAR themselves are about truly contemplating the change, but now that this has been teased as having some—even a sliver—of hope, have we not seen a very large majority of people excited about that?”

Dale Jr. also opened up about how the mood inside NASCAR’s Playoff Format Committee has gradually shifted. Recalling the early conversations, he admitted, “At the beginning of the year, the mere mention of a full-season points deal was pretty taboo, kind of early on that.”

At the time, bringing back the old pre-2003 format felt almost impossible. But as the season wore on, frustrations with the playoff system began to mount. The committee ran several polls to gauge opinion, and as Earnhardt Jr. explained, “Basically, the results that we took in February in the first poll that we took saying yes, think a multiple would be good, you know, saying no, and then very few 36 race full season that was saying full season is best.”

But Junior isn’t alone on this. NASCAR driver Christopher Bell has urged NASCAR to return to the Golden Era. Bell has voiced a strong preference for a championship format that rewards consistency throughout the entire racing season rather than a single decisive race.

He said, “I think there’s only one true, legitimate champion crowning format and that’s to count every race. I think that is how you get a legitimate champion. I’m hopeful that there is compromise on what we have now. You know, I’ve been very vocal about taking as many we can get. I think that 36 races are full points for the entire year and that is the best way to go.”

As the smoke cleared, NASCAR’s top brass, including the board of directors, will now weigh the committee’s musings before signing off on any changes. Forde stressed no official announcements will drop until after the 2025 season finale on November 2 at Phoenix raceway, keeping the Spotlight on the current championship battle.

Forde also emphasized, “I would be very surprised if the one-race championship is still around. That was a big talking point of we need a bigger sample size if we’re going to keep the playoffs, and the championship needs to be more than one race.”

But amid talks about the NASCAR playoffs returning to a full-season championship and Junior ripping off the current playoff system, the NASCAR Hall of Famer is set to return to racing…

Dale Jr. is set to return to racing at Tri-County Motor Speedway

The Dale Earnhardt Jr. CARS Tour races into Tri-County Motor Speedway this Saturday for a high-stakes doubleheader, just ahead of the season championship showdown. With intense points battles heating up on the return of Dale Jr. in Sun Drop colors, Hudson, North Carolina, is set for a weekend full of nostalgia.

NASCAR Hall of Famer and CARS Tour co-owner Dale Junior will make his fourth and final Late Model Stock Car start of 2025 behind the wheel of the Sun Drop No. 8 Chevrolet. Sun Drop has revived its partnership with Junior, harking back to his memorable 2022 debut at North Wilkesboro Speedway, where he staged a late-race surge to finish third.

While that remains his only top-five finish in six CARS Tour LMSC outings, Junior has consistently run near the front, including two 10th-place finishes at Florence and Anderson Speedways. This weekend also marks Junior’s first appearance at Tri-County since the track underwent major repaving, adding a new layer of challenge for the seasoned driver.