![\"NASCAR\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/GettyImages-1396158838-e1658951758261.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
NASCAR will return to Darlington Raceway for the playoffs. <\/p>\n
The NASCAR 2026 playoff format is already stirring debate as the sport prepares for major changes next season<\/a>. The current setup puts 16 drivers into the playoffs<\/a> through wins or points, then moves them through three rounds before a one-race title showdown. While this approach creates significant, high-pressure moments, it has also been questioned for eliminating top drivers after a single poor race.<\/p>\n With NASCAR planning adjustments for 2026, journalists Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck of The Athletic<\/a> compare what has worked, what hasn\u2019t, and what could make the next system stronger. Their discussion centered on past formats, fan understanding, and how to strike a balance between excitement and fairness as the sport enters a new chapter.<\/p>\n Bianchi Focuses on Longer, Clearer Playoff Paths<\/p>\n Jordan Bianchi narrowed his ideas to two NASCAR 2026 playoff formats. \u201cI got it down to two formats. It\u2019s either the 10-race \u2018Chase\u2019 (a single playoff round, 10 races long) or it\u2019s (two rounds of five races each),\u201d he said<\/a>. His main belief is that the championship should not be decided by one event. \u201cI do want to see a championship decided by a longer runway than just a race. I think four races is good, five is great, but if you want to go back to the old 10, I\u2019m OK with that.\u201d<\/p>\n Bianchi also explained how drivers should qualify. He wants wins to matter, but not overpower the points system. \u201cI like that winning a regular-season race carries the bonus of getting in the playoffs. I am going to go with the top 10 in points automatically gets you in, whether you win a race or not. Then you get two wild cards (for) the (two other race winners, highest in points).\u201d<\/p>\n He believes this approach rewards steady performance while still giving value to winning races during the regular season.<\/p>\n Gluck Pushes Back on Win-and-In and Points to Full-Season Strength<\/p>\n Jeff Gluck agreed that top performers should be protected, especially in a Chase-style format.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand what you\u2019re saying for the \u2018win and you\u2019re in,\u2019 but I don\u2019t think that would work (for the Chase format). So I agree with your top 10 points (are in). Because if you were going to do a Chase, you can\u2019t have your 30th-place guy that won a Daytona race, because you know he\u2019s just going to finish last (in the Chase). It\u2019s just going to take up a spot, and it\u2019s going to be a totally irrelevant storyline.\u201d<\/p>\n Gluck added that he still believes a full-season championship has value. \u201cI\u2019m going to stump here for (a full-season points race to determine the champion),\u201d he said, though he noted there is hesitation within the industry: \u201cThere\u2019s got to be some kind of playoff. And so that gives me pause, and I tend to go, well, maybe I should pursue a compromise of the 10-race Chase and all that.\u201d<\/p>\n Finding a Middle Ground for NASCAR\u2019s Future<\/p>\n Bianchi pointed out that the 10-race Chase is simple for new fans to follow. \u201cIf the idea is to simplify the playoffs and make it easy for a non-fan to come in, I think the 10-race Chase is probably the most straightforward way to do that.\u201d He also said a full-season format can sometimes lead to predictable results: \u201cThe (season-long format) more often than not is going to come down to a championship between two or three organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n Gluck remembered the old Chase years and shared that they weren\u2019t perfect. \u201cI was around for the entire 10-race Chase (era, from 2004-16) and it\u2019s not like things were going so great there either.\u201d He talked about how a season-long battle can build storylines: \u201cWe have no consistent thread that winds between the season and holds it all together.\u201d<\/p>\n Their exchange shows that NASCAR\u2019s challenge is finding a system that is fair, easy to follow, and strong enough to keep fans watching from start to finish.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a sports writer who covers NASCAR, Formula 1 and IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. With bylines at Total Apex Sports and Last Word on Sports, Wilberforce has built a reputation for delivering timely, engaging coverage that blends sharp analysis with accessible storytelling. Wilberforce has covered everything from major football transfers to fight-night drama, bringing readers the insight and context behind the headlines. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty NASCAR will return to Darlington Raceway for the playoffs. The NASCAR 2026 playoff format is already stirring…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":282553,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-282552","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nascar","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}