From 2014-25, NASCAR touted that the playoff format it used to crown its champions put a greater emphasis on winning than ever before. 

Winning ensured not only a spot in the postseason, but also a spot in each subsequent round of the playoffs for those who won playoff races. But there were plenty of holes in that logic. Matt Crafton won the 2019 Truck Series championship without winning a single race all year. Kevin Harvick won a whopping nine races in 2020 and didn’t even make the Championship 4. 

In NASCAR’s new Chase format, consistency is much more valuable. But so is winning, as race winners get 55 points as opposed to 35 for the lamenting runner-up. That makes winning arguably as important as it’s ever been at the top level of NASCAR over the 10-race Chase, which begins Sunday at Darlington. 

Winning paramount in the Chase, says Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott

“If you have a slip-up this weekend, you better be able to win,” said Chase Elliott, who won at Martinsville and Texas earlier this season but slumped over the summer and is the No. 8 seed. “You better have the ability to win and do it often to climb out of a bad race or two.

“You look at the year that Tony (Stewart) won in 2011… He ran like a pile for the majority of the year. He had a couple good races right there at the end and started to get things going in the right direction. I think he won Chicago, if I’m not mistaken, the first week. And then, he ended up winning five of the 10 races. Who had him picked to win it that year?”

Winning can undoubtedly bring a driver seen as an underdog in the championship fight to the forefront of the battle. But it can also elevate drivers seen as favorites to the top of the standings. That’s what Christopher Bell, who has seven runner-up finishes through the first 26 races of the season, is hoping happens for him and his No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team. 

“Can we do this? Can we win a championship? Yes,” Bell said. “Without winning? Can we win a championship without winning a race? No. That’s my answer. I don’t believe so. “

Bell’s seven second-place finishes were all heartbreaking in their own way. But they also lifted the Norman, Okla., native to the No. 5 seed in the Chase. With a win at Darlington, he could find himself in the thick of the fight for the points lead. 

Winning cures all, and this year, a win or two combined with steady performance over the final 10 races could lead to a championship.

“It does not feel like it’s a tall task at all,” Bell said. “I think we’re going to win.”

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.