NASCAR listened to the fans and the veterans of the sport and brought back the Chase to replace the controversial playoff format. A 10-race Chase, without any reset or elimination, would crown the 2026 champion. On paper, this looked like the most legitimate way to crown a champion in NASCAR. However, there’s one key factor that still outweighs the revamped format, which was highlighted by Kyle Larson.

“I think this format really rewards consistency. But I guess it rewards consistency throughout the whole race, where I think if we really wanted to get back to the authentic part of our sport that we used to have, I think going off of just finishes would be the most authentic way to crown a champion at the end of the year,” Larson said in a report shared by Matt Weaver.

Denny Hamlin entered the Chase as the number 1 seed and a 25-point buffer on the second-place driver. At Darlington, he finished 18th and had a top 10 result at Gateway. Not the ideal start for the veteran JGR driver, but despite the lack of positive speed or results, he is sitting on top of the table.

The Southern 500 in particular helped him stay afloat, all thanks to the 16 stage points he scored. Now some of the fans are arguing that thanks to the stage points gimmick, Hamlin was able to keep his place despite having bad races. NASCAR retained the stage racing despite revamping the playoffs format, and that has become a big topic of discussion now.

Larson himself agreed that his team has also managed to stay in the title hunt because of the stage points. But despite that, he would like to see the format return to the roots: points based on the race finish. “This is coming from somebody who is up there in stage points, as well, throughout the season. Without stage points, we would be further down. I don’t even know if we’d be in the Chase without stage points.”

We can get a better idea regarding Larson’s suggestion with a look at the points standings. Ryan Blaney has benefitted the most from stage points; he has bagged 239 points after 28 starts this season. Larson wasn’t lying when he said that without stage points he would be buried in the standings. With 230 points, he’s the second-best driver to benefit from the stage points. And then comes Hamlin.

The veteran JGR driver has 220 stage points to his name. And with Ty Gibbs’ name added to this list, only these four drivers have managed to cross the 200 stage point marker. But there’s another way to look at this: a driver who runs up front or leads a portion of the race gets to reap the benefit of this system.

Hamlin has led the most laps (948) so far this season, and he is followed by Larson at 838 and Blaney with 829 laps led. While the ask of going back to the traditional points system is fair, the stage racing keeps the format entertaining. And Hamlin’s reply to this discussion was along these lines.

“I think that it’s going to make it far more compelling, and it’s also going to reward those that perform great for an extended period of time. I think that the amount that the stages are rewarded are fair to the total amount that you get for the end of the race,” the veteran JGR driver said.

In this format, a win gives you 55 points, and an additional 20 some stage points leads to a 70+ points day. This is what Larson was able to achieve at Gateway, and the same with Joey Logano’s win at Richmond. Consistency across the format, with more incentives for winning races, is what will keep the title run interesting.

Hamlin may have survived the dull races at the start of the Chase. But he can’t sustain his points lead without a race win. Only 9 points separate him and Larson, so banking on stage points isn’t part of the plan for the title contenders. It is more of a backup plan to try and minimize the damage, and so far the No. 11 team has done a good job.