The fated announcement has now come true. Just like the rumors suggested, NASCAR is bringing back the Chase format. In their official press release today, they have declared that the current playoff format will switch to The Chase again. The final 10 races will now feature a point system that crowns the winner after cumulative results of the final 10 races. In their official press release, they have emphasized that their focus is more on their fans now.

During their official press release, Steve O’Donnell and prominent drivers like Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and former drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr were a part of the championship format announcement. As per O’Donnell, “This (format) is the best of both worlds.”

Dale Jr., who was also a panelist for the playoffs format, was rather “excited” about this change. He also put forward a great point, suggesting that, “It makes it simpler for our fans to follow. I am a fan of the sport, and now I am compelled to plug in every single week.”

But some hard-hitting lines came from veteran Mark Martin, who was, in a way, the pillar behind this movement.

Mark Martin voices the fans, bringing back the Chase format

Mark Martin is being given credit for reintroducing this system to the sport. After all, he was the one who put forward the fans’ frustrations in front of the board. Martin, while addressing the media, urged bringing back the fans who had stopped watching the sport.

“I think it’s a huge win for NASCAR. It’s a huge win for the competitors. … It’s a huge win for the fans. No one loses in this format.” Martin told the media during the announcement.

“You will have to be blazingly consistent and consistently fast to be our NASCAR champion under this system. I think it’s fabulous.”

After this new format, NASCAR is hoping to eliminate the frustration that fans had with the Chase. The newest format will not eliminate any drivers after three races. Hence, the drivers will be able to drive for the long run and strategize their efforts to perform well in every race.

Instead of being one-hit wonders like before, every driver in the Playoffs will be trying to give it their all so that small efforts can lead to the final race in hopes of winning the title. As mentioned by Steve O’Donnell during the press release,

“We want drivers to go compete and run every single lap — every single lap matters — and this is going to deliver that.”

NASCAR, contrary to the other major motorsports series, used a playoff system until the end of the 2025 season. This had come a long way from the original ways. Back then, just like the traditional motorsports series, they used a points system that rewarded the driver and team that earned the most points by the end of the season.

NASCAR used to do this until the 2004 season. In 2004, they introduced the first version of the Chase format. In this format, the 10 best drivers from the Regular season (first 26 races) would race for the championship title in the final 10 races of the season.

The upcoming NASCAR championship format is also tipped to follow the same rule, in order to cater to the longstanding demands of the fans. After the Chase format, NASCAR changed its rules again in 2014 to introduce the modern Playoffs system. It mirrors the big leagues in America to streamline NASCAR more as an American sport.

In the Playoffs, the top-16 race-winning drivers compete in the final 10 races of the Cup Series season for the title. During the 10 races, four drivers are eliminated from the title chase after three races, until only four drivers remain to compete for the title in the last race of the NASCAR season: the Cup Championship Race.

But that wasn’t all in the event. There were some Cup Series drivers on the panel as well, and they also shared their reactions to this new change.

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Driver reactions to the announcement of the new format

Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, and Chase Briscoe, representing the three NASCAR manufacturers, were a part of the panel during the live press release.

Taking a page out of his memory as a NASCAR fan, Chase Elliott mentioned, “We are fans of the sport. I grew up a fan. I watched a lot of videos of Jimmie dominating. The championship of Tony and Carl, all during the Chase, was incredible.”

Echoing his sentiments, Ryan Blaney also mentioned that growing up, it was the Chase format that he loved, and he was a fan of the close battles.

“I feel like it is also going to…clean up a lot of the racing side of it and get back to the purity side of it,” Blaney commented on the aggressive attitude that was becoming the norm due to the more risky Playoffs system.

Chase Briscoe was more in line with NASCAR’s point of view. He first joked how he “liked the name!”

Earlier, O’Donnell mentioned that it was the best of both worlds. Briscoe reiterated it, claiming, “I think it has every characteristic they could want in a championship.”

Why did NASCAR introduce the new championship format?

A major reason for this is to preserve the NASCAR fans from moving away. NASCAR has been ignored and criticized by the fans a lot for the playoff system. Their argument revolves around the fact that the playoffs do not really reward the best driver. Often, by a stroke of luck or sudden mishap, the driver who was dominating all year round ends up losing the race and the crown.

The 2025 season was a perfect example of the same. Christopher Bell was highly successful during the regular season and the initial stages of the playoffs. But one mistake cost him the shot at the championship in 2025. And nobody can forget Denny Hamlin‘s tragic loss. He was controlling the championship until the very last race.

But all it took was one late-stage caution to absolutely rip away the title of the 2025 Cup Series champion from him and give it to Kyle Larson. These situations have frustrated the fans far too many times. They also wonder why they should watch the regular season if it is not as important as the final 10 races.

Plus, the regular-season champion is mostly sidelined by the Cup Series organizers and does not receive a lot of appreciation for winning among 30+ drivers after 26 grueling races throughout the season.

The playoff system tried to make the fans and drivers stay on the edge of their seats throughout the season. But once again, the drivers who were able to win more than two races in the early stages of the regular season would race very carefully throughout the remaining races before the playoffs kicked in.

The playoffs sounded like a good idea on paper, but in reality, the execution was much messier than anticipated. Let’s hope the new format brings all the fans back to the stands like before.