CONCORD, N.C. — As Simple Minds once sang, “Don’t you forget about me.” This should no longer be a concern for drivers who make The Chase in 2026 and beyond.

Instead of being eliminated and falling to the wayside, the 16 drivers who make the playoff field will remain a storyline throughout the 10-race Chase schedule. This will only help them better connect with NASCAR fans, something that became a focus throughout the process of deciding the new format that goes into effect next season.

“For the broadcasters, for the media, the journalists and everyone, this is a time for a change, a change in how we cover the sport, and that means, instead of every week talking about the cutoff line, the playoff, who’s in, who’s out, all these things, we need to focus even more on our heroes,” Mark Martin said on Monday.

“These guys behind me that are winning these races are our (David) Pearsons and our (Cale) Yarboroughs and our Buddy Bakers of today, and we need our fans to connect with these guys. We need them to connect with the crew chiefs. We need to connect with the engineers as well. Give the fans something that they can connect to and help us bill these superstars like they deserve to be.”

Martin raced under different formats that emphasized the biggest names in the sport. He spent the majority of his career competing under full-season points. He then took part in The Chase era during the final seasons of his career. He nearly won the title in 2009 while racing under this format.

Martin, who says he was nearly thrown out of the room while fighting for full-season points, built his fanbase winning races and competing throughout the entire season. He and the other drivers in this era became the heroes to the fans and younger drivers.

Now, other drivers get to experience this. No longer will they just win one race or make the playoffs on points and then hope they last long enough to get some TV time for their team and their sponsors.

They get to try to become legends like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Greg Biffle, and others who raced under past formats.

They won’t be forgotten after races at Bristol, the Roval, or Martinsville. They will have the chance to build the fanbase and inspire future generations of racers while competing over a 10-week stretch.

“I think I’ve been eliminated from the Round of 12 and then the Round of 8, and I’ve obviously done the Final Four,” Chase Briscoe told FanBuzz. “When you get eliminated, like, you truthfully don’t really feel like you’re racing for a whole lot, like you don’t get shown on TV. Nobody talks about you anymore.

“And I think, from the sponsor standpoint, just the fact even if you’re 16th, like, you’re still in The Chase, and people are going to at least be paying attention to you. Your number is always going to be on the side where the points are. And I think that’s good for everybody involved.”

Briscoe hasn’t raced under full-season points, nor has he raced under the previous iteration of The Chase. His time in the Craftsman Truck Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and Cup Series has featured the elimination playoff format.

Chase Elliott is in a similar situation. He has won a Cup Series championship under the elimination format and an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series championship under the full-season points.

His sole experience with The Chase was watching the heroes of the sport battle for championships over 10 weeks. This left a lasting impression as he moved up the ranks of the sport.

“Like Ryan (Blaney) said, from his and my perspective both, when we kind of grew up watching just huge fans of the sport admiring what Jimmie (Johnson) was doing through those five straight (championships),” Elliott said. “I mean, just my jaw was on the floor the fact that that guy could win five straight championships.

“…As time went on, you realize just how good that format was, and how much we wish we just had that back over the last number of years. So I mentioned it in (the press conference) but the battle between Carl (Edwards) and Tony (Stewart), I mean, again, like just a jaw-dropping final 10 weeks. You had a guy that won 50% of the last 10 races. I mean, just incredible performance races.”