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Credit: NASCAR\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: NASCAR\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Racing fans shouldn\u2019t expect to hear what the 2026 NASCAR Playoffs format<\/a> until the new year, but one team executive thinks it will go over well with most fans.<\/p>\n Kaulig Racing<\/a> CEO Chris Rice recently spoke to retired driver Kenny Wallace and told him, \u201cI know a lot more than you think,\u201d about what to expect, without spilling all of the still secret beans.<\/p>\n Rice said, \u201cyou\u2019re gonna like it,\u201d and elaborated that \u201cit\u2019s not exactly what everybody\u2019s posting about.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like 75% of the people are going to love it, 10% are going to be, \u2018aaaah, OK,\u2019 right? And that\u2019s gonna leave 15% of the people that\u2019s gonna hate it.\u201d<\/p>\n CLICK TO SEE MORE AMERICAN CARS AND AND RACING NEWS IN YOUR SEARCH RESULTS<\/a><\/p>\n Speculation has been that it there will still be multiple knock-out rounds, but that the champion will be decided over several races, rather that with a final winner-take-all race. There\u2019s also the possibility that the 10-race Chase will be revived, but Rice made it sound like something new is in the works.<\/p>\n Anyone hoping that NASCAR will switch back to a full-season points championship should probably get ready to be disappointed, however.<\/p>\n \u201cThe traditional way of doing points would be tough to do in this era,\u201d Rice said<\/a>. \u201cBecause we are looking towards a younger group of people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMan, I go back and watch them old races on Tubi and then like, dude, there might be one car on the lead lap and somebody\u2019s winning the points series by 487 points, like that ain\u2019t exciting to the young guy, or young woman, so we gotta make it exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE GAS: AN AMERICAN CARS AND RACING PODCAST<\/a><\/p>\n NASCAR is the only major circuit racing series with a postseason-style championship. IndyCar and Formula 1 both use full season points standings as the decider and do not have plans to change. The NHRA currently uses something similar to The Chase called the Countdown to the Championship<\/a>, which resets the points for the final six races. The smaller Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model series has used a playoffs for the past three seasons, but is switching back to a points format next year.<\/p>\n