The long-waged battle finally came to a rest. Drivers and fans alike have battered the NASCAR higher-ups about the unpopular playoff format for years. Whether it was Joey Logano’s 2024 title win with the worst average finish or Denny Hamlin’s heartbreaking 2025 loss, many factors motivated people to dislike the format more. It is finally out, with even 2025 Cup Series champion Kyle Larson rejoicing.

Kyle Larson is ready for a ‘new’ season

“Yeah, I think it’s good,” Kyle Larson told FloRacing, validating NASCAR’s new playoff format. “The old playoff system kind of ran its course, and I think now you know, it is going to be a fair way to crown a champion, and still produce a lot of excitement, so I think it benefits everybody, too. You know at least your contenders.”

On a Monday afternoon at the NASCAR Productions Facility, president Steve O’Donnell announced the changes. The new format for all three series – Cup, O’Reilly Auto Parts, and Craftsman Truck – takes a page out of the system that was in place from 2004 to 2013 in the Cup Series. Champions will now be decided based on points, with notable aspects like the postseason ‘Chase’ and a 55-point bonus to race winners.

However, the most endearing part of the playoff changes would probably be the exclusions. The “win-and-you’re-in” rule that provided regular-season winners with automatic playoff berths is no more. Additionally, bankable playoff points are no longer part of the format. So top racers like Kyle Larson can display their racecraft without any apprehensions.

“If you can go out there and be consistent, execute, and run up front, which is something we do well at Hendrick. Hopefully, we can show that,” Kyle Larson boldly declared about his season’s aspirations. After all, he had been deprived of titles himself many times in the past, like his 6-win 2024 season.

“It’s really hard to win one race in the championship. So I think probably all top contenders, too, who were battling for championships in the old system, probably all like this way better, feel our chances of winning a Championship are now higher,” Larson continued.

The two-time Cup Series champion was busy with the Chili Bowl Nationals. Kyle Larson won in the Monday preliminary feature. He started fourth in the 30-lap A Main and was leading by the 10th circuit. And yet his mind was indeed revolving around the revamped NASCAR championship format.

Even after the changes, however, NASCAR’s top executive looked back at exciting moments.

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A plan long in the works

The 2025 championship finale looked like the tipping point. Denny Hamlin was a season-long dominator, picking up 6 Cup Series race wins that included his career’s 60th trophy. Yet he fell through in the Phoenix Raceway finale, due to a late-race caution. Similarly, Connor Zilisch also could not cap off his 10-win rookie season in Xfinity. These heartbreaking losses created ripples of discontent in the community, which called for changes more vehemently. However, Steve O’Donnell said that changes were already underway.

O’Donnell looked back at Corey Heim’s Truck Series title, which lived up to the excitement. “When you looked at the (Truck Series) race on Friday night, if Corey Heim hadn’t have won, he’d be like, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s happening?’ But the dramatic fashion he won in, had everyone looking at each other and saying, ‘Wow, that was pretty wild. It was pretty cool.’ If anything, it kind of reintroduced that a little bit.”

Clearly, NASCAR took its sweet time to decide on the playoffs. With the tweaks finally here, drivers and fans can look forward to a charged-up season!