A group of past and former NASCAR drivers speak on a panel for ‘The Chase’ press conference.
Courtesy of NASCAR
Steve O’Donnell, president of NASCAR, announced sweeping changes to the NASCAR points format in Concord, N.C., along with a panel of five drivers of the past and present on Jan. 12.
The sanctioning body and the sport’s playoff committee have agreed to revert to “The Chase” style format, which was the points system used from 2004 to 2015. The postseason will no longer have an elimination-style format, and the ‘win and you’re in’ rule has been removed.
Both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin, former NASCAR Cup Series drivers, expressed that this decision is the best between two extremes: keeping the elimination playoff format or returning to a points format without a postseason.
“I believe what it does is it makes it simpler for our fans to follow,” Earnhardt said. “I’m a fan of the sport, and now I’m compelled to plug in every single week because I know there’s a long-form objective for my driver to accomplish to be able to give himself the opportunity to win the championship. Even though my driver may have success early on this season, it does not assure him success in the postseason. So with the way that they’re gonna stack the bonus points and everything else, it’s critical that these drivers have success every single week, every single race, every single lap.”
‘The Chase’ point system breakdown
While there are still 10 races and 16 drivers in The Chase, points earned in each race during the regular season will matter more. This is due to victories being unable to help a driver reach the postseason anymore.
Points for the top 16 drivers will reset after the 26th race at Daytona International Speedway. Seeding will give the regular season champion 100 points over the driver that is placed at No. 16 in points, with points rising incrementally between seed positions.
There are no longer elimination rounds during the postseason. The points earned for winning a race increased from 40 to 55, 20 points more than second-place earnings, to make victories more valuable under “The Chase” format.
Points will still be awarded during stage breaks, but stage points are no longer awarded.
As announced during the 2025 season, Homestead Miami Speedway will return as the championship race, and Phoenix Raceway will move to the seventh race of “The Chase.”
Martin speaks up for the fans
During the press conference, Martin took leadership in the sport’s new era by expressing that he was the voice for the fans during the negotiations within the playoff committee.
In the first episode of “The Mark Martin Archive Podcast” which was live-streamed on Jan. 6, Martin credited his appreciation for the fans as fuel for changing the points system in a major way.
“Every fan I talk to hates playoffs, I’m sorry,” Martin said on the podcast. “So look, you know I’m a guy that has a bigger voice than those fans, so I decided I owed my entire career to the race fans that supported me so much, so I stood up for the fans.”
Graphic of former NASCAR driver Mark Martin.
Courtesy of FOX Sports
Martin carried this attitude into the press conference by explaining the importance of simplifying the points system and letting the drivers showcase their talent.
“We need to focus even more on our heroes [star drivers],” Martin said. “These guys behind me [Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Briscoe] that are winning these races are our [David] Pearsons and our [Cale] Yarboroughs and our Buddy Bakers of today. We need our fans to connect with these guys…help us build these superstars like they deserve to be.”
Looking forward
Heading into the 2026 season, there are various events fans can keep an eye on.
RFK Racing is hosting a gathering of remembrance on Jan. 16 at Bojangles Stadium to honor the late Greg Biffle and everyone lost on Dec. 18 during the tragic airplane crash in Statesville, N.C. Doors open at 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, The Clash in Winston-Salem, N.C., is set for Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. at Bowman Gray Stadium. It will be broadcast on FOX.
The Daytona 500 kicks off the regular season on Feb. 15 at 2:30 p.m. It will be broadcast on FOX.