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CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 24: Chris Rice, President of Kaulig Racing walks the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series BetMGM 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 24, 2025 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo by Logan Riely\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
NASCAR has yet to release details about its next points championship<\/a> and playoff format, leaving fans and teams waiting for clarity. During a recent conversation, Kaulig Racing CEO<\/a> Chris Rice addressed the delay while speaking with Kenny Wallace.<\/p>\n Rice confirmed the new format has not been finalized, but said discussions are ongoing inside the sport. He explained why the process slowed down, what issues NASCAR is trying to fix, and how fan feedback has influenced the direction of the changes.<\/p>\n Why has NASACR not announced the new format yet<\/p>\n Kenny Wallace asks why NASCAR has not released the new points championship format and what Chris Rice knew about the delay. Rice responded directly, saying, \u201cI know a lot more than you think.\u201d<\/p>\n When Wallace pressed further and asked if the idea had been set aside, Rice said<\/a>, \u201cI\u2019ll be honest with you. It got put on the back burner.\u201d He added that he has spoken often with NASCAR executive Mark Warren during the process.<\/p>\n Rice said the delay does not mean the plan was dropped. \u201cYou\u2019re gonna like it. You will like it,\u201d he said. He also noted that the format being discussed is not what many fans have seen posted online. \u201cIt\u2019s not exactly what everybody\u2019s posting about,\u201d Rice said, adding that NASCAR had not made a final decision the last time he was involved.<\/p>\n Rice stressed that NASCAR is not looking to completely rebuild the system. \u201cWe need an adjustment. Do we need an overhaul? No. But we need an adjustment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Chris Rice explains concerns with one race deciding the championship<\/p>\n One of the main topics in the conversation was the concern over a single race deciding the championship. Rice said he enjoys returning to Homestead but questioned whether one event should carry that much weight.<\/p>\n \u201cI enjoy going back to Homestead, but we don\u2019t need one race to make the difference, Rice said.\u201d<\/p>\n He explained how track advantages can make outcomes feel predictable. \u201cWe know going to Homestead, if Kyle Larson\u2019s<\/a> in the final four, who the heck you think\u2019s going to win?\u201d Rice asked. He followed with another example, saying, \u201cIf Tyler Reddick\u2019s in the final four, who the heck you think\u2019s gonna have a shot?\u201d<\/p>\n Rice said NASCAR officials are aware of these concerns. \u201cThey recognize that,\u201d he said. According to Rice, fan feedback has played a role in pushing these conversations forward. \u201cThe fans have been vocal,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Fan input and focus on younger audiences<\/p>\n Rice also credited Kenny Wallace for publicly discussing the topic and influencing the conversation around the format. \u201cKenny Wallace is a big advocate of this,\u201d Rice said. He explained that Wallace\u2019s comments often help shape how issues are viewed inside the sport.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve watched so many times Kenny changing the direction of the conversation just by saying something, and I\u2019m like, that\u2019s good,\u201d Rice said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ve listened as a sport, and it\u2019s going to be great He added.\u201d<\/p>\n Rice shared his expectations for how fans will react once the format is announced. \u201cI feel like 75 percent of the people are going to love it. Ten percent are going to be okay with it. That\u2019s going to leave 15 percent of the people that\u2019s going to hate it, he said.\u201d<\/p>\n He also explained why NASCAR is thinking differently about points today. \u201cThe traditional way of doing points would be tough to do in this era,\u201d Rice said, noting the sport is trying to connect with younger fans.<\/p>\n Chris Rice pointed to older races as an example. \u201cThere might be one car on the lead lap, and somebody\u2019s winning the point series by 487 points, he said.\u201d \u201cThat ain\u2019t exciting to the young guy or the young woman.\u201d<\/p>\n While NASCAR has not released official details, Chris Rice\u2019s comments show the new format<\/a> is still under discussion and shaped by fairness, fan input, and changing audience habits.<\/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 Image CONCORD, NORTH CAROLINA – MAY 24: Chris Rice, President of Kaulig Racing walks the grid during…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":281022,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-359910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359910","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=359910"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359910\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}