Chase Elliott reacts to NASCAR’s new championship format: ‘It is a really nice compromise’

Chase Elliott seems to like NASCAR’s championship format for the 2026 season and beyond. After NASCAR announced it would return to “The Chase” format to determine a champion, Elliott praised the organization for the move.

“I think we all want it to be better because, to Dale [Earnhardt Jr.]‘s point, we are fans of this sport,” Chase Elliott said to a group of reporters during a press conference. “I grew up a fan.”

Elliott then discussed the time when NASCAR had “The Chase” from 2004 to 2013, and the battles between drivers to win a championship. “We often times forget just how good we had it through those years of ‘The Chase’ format,” he said, “and I really do think it is a really nice compromise.

“I think getting a full season was going to be a really big challenge. I’m not sure if there’s really a better place to land than a true 10-race chase, really similar to what we had through those years of the epic battles that we saw.”

More on NASCAR bringing back ‘The Chase’

“The Chase” will consist of the final 10 races for the NASCAR Cup Series. The 16 drivers who have the most points at the end of the regular season will compete in “The Chase,” and the top driver will earn a 25-point cushion over the second seed.

In the previous format, a driver who won a race in the regular season would clinch a spot in the playoffs. “The Chase” changes all of that, as a race win will not guarantee automatic entry into the championship format.

“As NASCAR transitions to a revised championship model, the focus is on rewarding driver and team performance each and every race,” NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell said in a press release. “At the same time, we want to honor NASCAR’s storied history and the traditions that have made the sport so special. Our fans are at the heart of everything we do, and this format is designed to honor their passion every single race weekend.”

Elliott sounds ready to win a championship in “The Chase” format. In his career, the 30-year-old has won the Cup Series title in 2020 and claimed the regular season championship in 2022. Last season, Elliott won two races and finished eighth in the final standings.