Only two of the 16 drivers in this year’s Cup Series Chase were competing at stock car racing’s top level the last time NASCAR used a 10-race format to determine the champion, but they’re all aware it’s a pressure-filled configuration.
“It’s 10 weeks of hell,” Joey Logano, the ninth seed, said. “I heard Jimmie Johnson say that one time and it’s pretty true. It’s a grueling 10 weeks.”
NASCAR first instituted the 10-race Chase format in 2004, a year after Matt Kenseth wrapped up the championship one event before the 36-race season ended. Kenseth led the driver standings 33 of the 36 races and finished with a 90-point advantage over Johnson. The Chase format existed through the 2013 season. NASCAR then switched to the elimination format 2014-2025. Under that format, each round consisted of three races, and four drivers were eliminated at the end of each round. The champion was the highest finishing driver of the four title contenders that reached the season finale.
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Denny Hamlin (left) and Joey Logano.
This year’s top seed Denny Hamlin and Logano understand the Chase’s intensity because they were Cup competitors the first time NASCAR used the format to determine the series champion. However, during its first decade, Stages didn’t exist, and they provide the opportunity to earn even more points during an event. It’s now possible for a race winner to garner 76 points in one event by winning the first two Stages, the race, and recording the fastest lap. With this year’s reset, Hamlin begins the Chase just 25 points ahead of second seed Ryan Blaney and 100 points ahead of 16th seed Ryan Preece.
Hamlin believes preparing for the 10-week championship run is tougher than the elimination format NASCAR used the previous 12 years.
“There’s not gonna be any opportunity for me to take two weeks and study for one race track,” Hamlin explained. “It’s not physically possible. Now, there’s an opportunity for me to spend a little bit more time on these last 10, which I will do. But it will never reach the depths in which I worked for Phoenix last year. It’s just simply because there’s no weekends to take off (in this format).”
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Christopher Bell.
Christopher Bell, who has recorded seven runner-up finishes this season, says this year’s Chase creates “way more pressure” because the reset that occurred after each elimination round last year no longer exists.
“If you had a bad race, it’s just like survive. Just gotta get above the cutline… but now there are no freebies,” Bell explained. “You can’t have a bad race and get a reset in three weeks. You’re going to have to perform every week. Certainly, our strength is the beginning of it. The first seven are all really good tracks for me.”
Logano notes that everything that is difficult in life involves pressure.
“If it’s easy to do, you’re probably not accomplishing anything that matters in life,” Logano said. “The hard things are the things that move the needle in your life.”
A North Carolina native, Deb Williams is an award-winning motorsports journalist who is in her fourth decade covering auto racing. In addition to covering the sport for United Press International, she has written motorsports articles for several newspapers, magazines and websites including espnW.com, USA Today, and The Charlotte Observer. Her awards include the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, two-time National Motorsports Press Association writer of the year, and two-time recipient of the Russ Catlin award. She also has won an award in the North Carolina Press Association’s sports feature category. During her career, Deb has been managing editor of GT Motorsports magazine and was with Winston Cup Scene and NASCAR Winston Cup Scene for 18 years, serving as the publication’s editor for 10 years. In 2024 she was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame.