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Kyle Busch expressed confusion on NASCAR’s choice to return to The Chase
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch weighed in on the sport bringing back The Chase points format for 2026. The driver of the #8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet said he believed NASCAR went away from The Chase for many good reasons, and is skeptical on why they’d bring the format back.
NASCAR moved past The Chase format after the 2013 season and introduced the 16-driver grid format, a 10-race format where four drivers would be eliminated from the playoffs after every three playoff races.
In an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Busch believed NASCAR changed the format in 2014 for a reason and is confused as to why they’d return to the old system.
“I thought we got away from it for a reason in the past, so I’m not real sure why we went back to it. The reason why we sorta went away from it was obviously Jimmie Johnson’s dominance, number one. I feel like, number two, is there were times where guys, like myself, who would have one bad race or two that would then knock them out of the championship basically.”
Busch went on to say that things like the nature of The Chase and how one bad race in the 10-race format can drain a driver’s title hopes, he doesn’t agree with the decision to return to the format.
However, the Las Vegas native went on to say that because of the culture of today’s racing with drivers “everybody running over everybody” all the time could shake things up.
“You might see everybody, all 16 of us, have a bad race. If all of us have a bad race, then that can just be construed as your throw-away, and you’ve got to be good in the other nine [races].”
Kyle Busch on If Winning Can Make Up for a Bad Race: ‘If You’re a Winner’
Kyle Busch pulled no punches when asked if having a bad race in the reintroduced Chase format could be made up for by winning. With 76 the maximum amount of points that can be earned in a Chase race, Busch was asked on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio if winning would have a positive effect.
“If you’re a winner. If you’re a Hendrick car, a Gibbs car, or a Penske car, yeah. Name me another team that wins races that’s outside of those guys.”
Busch hasn’t won in the NASCAR Cup Series since June of 2023 when he won at World Wide Technology Raceway. The 63-time Cup Series winner has also failed to make The Chase, formerly the playoffs, the last two years.
NASCAR Returned to The Chase Format Ahead of 2026 Season
After 12 seasons of the 16-driver, win-and-you’re-in playoff format, NASCAR has returned to the 10-race Chase for 2026. The 16 drivers who earn the most points through the regular season, which is the first 26 races of the season, will qualify for The Chase.
In the 10-race Chase, whoever has the most points at the end will become the champion. The points will reset prior to the beginning of The Chase with 25-point intervals between the drivers.
John Breeden John Breeden is a NASCAR contributor at Heavy Sports. He has five years of sports journalism experience. He graduated from James Madison University in May of 2022 with a degree in media arts and design. John is also a sports reporter for the Daily News-Record in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Previously, John was a sports writer for JMU’s The Breeze and a NASCAR content writer for Sportskeeda. More about John Breeden
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