NASCAR introduced its elimination-style playoff format in 2014 to make the championship more exciting. But it soon drew criticism for not rewarding consistency, as drivers could struggle for much of the season, get hot at the right time and still win the title. Joey Logano was one of the biggest examples of that. In 2026, NASCAR finally made a change and brought back the Chase, something Dale Earnhardt Jr. once thought was unlikely to happen.

“I didn’t do a lot of speaking myself, but what I was hearing, I really didn’t think we were going to venture far from where we were in terms of the win-and-you’re-in and the rounds elimination and all those things. I just thought NASCAR is never going to get rid of this. The networks are never going to allow them to get rid of this,” the NASCAR Hall of Famer said on the Dale Jr. Download podcast.

NASCAR announced that all three national series would return to The Chase this season. The new format was designed to reward strong performances throughout the year while giving championship contenders more races to prove themselves. The biggest change was getting rid of the traditional “win, and you’re in” rule. Winning a regular-season race would no longer guarantee a spot in The Chase.

The Cup Series still has the familiar 10-race championship stretch after the 26-race regular season, but there are no eliminations. Under the previous format, a single poor result could put a championship contender on the cutline and create plenty of late-race pressure. Kevin Harvick in 2020, for instance, lost out on the Championship 4 because of a single poor 17th-place finish in Martinsville in the playoffs. He had nine Cup Series wins that year.

Regardless, the television networks loved the tension. Broadcasters had clear storylines to promote, while the cutline gave viewers an immediate reason to care about every position. The knockout rounds also created a “Game 7” feeling during the final weeks and helped NASCAR stay relevant during football season, giving networks another strong marketing hook.

However, the fans and drivers were unhappy with the format as it devalued season-long consistency and manufactured artificial drama at the expense of competitive integrity. This forced NASCAR to reconsider its choices.

The return to Chase in 2026 came after NASCAR brought together a 30-plus-member group to look at possible changes to the playoffs. The group included drivers, NASCAR officials, track owners, media members, and representatives from the manufacturers. Dale Jr. and Mark Martin were among those involved in the discussions.

Fan feedback was also considered as NASCAR weighed how much the championship system should change. Martin helped change that expectation. According to Dale Jr., he entered the discussion with a simple message: “Why are we full season? Damn it. That’s what everybody wants.”

That argument eventually gained traction, with Racing Insights and others helping NASCAR work through the numbers and create a points structure that could still reward race winners without making victories an automatic ticket into The Chase.

The result has already changed how drivers can build championship momentum. Logano became one example. The Team Penske star had a brutal mid-season slump in 2026 that dropped the three-time champion as low as 20th in the NASCAR Cup Series points standings by June. He eventually climbed through the standings during a strong summer run and made it to the post-season.

For Dale Jr., those swings have made individual results matter every week.

“I get to tune in, I watch a race, I see somebody stumble, and I go, ‘Oh s***, what’s that going to be points-wise for them at the end of the day?’ Or see somebody succeed. What does that mean for them, points-wise at the end of the day?”

Ryan Preece also provided another example when he won his way into The Chase after winning the final race of the regular season at Daytona, something Dale Jr. described as incredible.

The regular season under the new format has provided plenty of drama. Now, the Chase will show whether NASCAR can keep fans engaged without taking away from the importance of the entire season. Dale Jr. is happy NASCAR made a change he once thought was unlikely. Whether the new format lives up to that faith remains to be seen.