{"id":450426,"date":"2026-02-03T04:04:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T04:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/450426\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T04:04:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T04:04:09","slug":"thought-we-got-away-from-it-for-a-reason","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/450426\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Thought we got away from it for a reason’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A lot of NASCAR<\/a> drivers and fans are happy to see the return of the Chase championship format in 2026. Kyle Busch, however, has some questions. <\/p>\n

Busch was around for the original version of the Chase, introduced in 2004 and put away after the 2013 season. Jimmie Johnson dominated the Chase era, winning six of his seven Cup Series championships, including five in a row from 2006-2010. That, Busch said, was the No. 1 reason why NASCAR went away from the Chase format. No. 2 he explained in great detail. <\/p>\n

\ud83e\udd14 “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.”<\/p>\n

Kyle Busch shares his thoughts on The Chase returning, consistency, and the importance of winning, saying it still rewards the bigger teams.<\/p>\n

More \u2192 https:\/\/t.co\/MKhd9eLpQA<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/asAc5uXBdP<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Ch. 90) (@SiriusXMNASCAR) February 2, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI thought we got away from it for a reason in the past, so I\u2019m not real sure why we went back to it,\u201d Busch said on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio<\/a>. \u201cThe reason why we sorta went away from it was obviously, Jimmie Johnson\u2019s dominance, No. 1, but I feel like No. 2, 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. Like, I finished third one year, I finished fifth another year just from you know, having a wreck in one race, like Talladega. You get caught up in a wreck and boom, you can\u2019t make up enough points to get back to the championship but you\u2019re going to finish third in points. <\/p>\n

\u201cI got wrecked at Kansas one year and that put me fifth in the championship. So, it\u2019s just stuff like that, that I don\u2019t really agree with it. But with the racing, the way that it is today, and everybody running over everybody all the time, you might see, everybody, that all 16 of us have a bad race. So, you know, if all of us have a bad race, then that can sort of be construed as your throw away and you\u2019ve gotta be good in the other nine. But you know, who\u2019s to say, we don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kyle Busch has concerns about NASCAR returning to Chase format<\/p>\n

The points-based Chase system will reward consistency from drivers across the entire season. Under the new model, the top 16 drivers in regular season points after 26 races will advance to a 10-race playoff, with the champion determined by total points, a big change from the prior win-and-you\u2019re-in automatic berths and knockout rounds.<\/p>\n

Additionally, NASCAR will increase points for race wins from 40 to 55, to ensure victories still carry significant weight. The regular season points leader will enter the Chase with a 25-point advantage.<\/p>\n

Busch, notably, missed the playoffs in 2024 and 2025. His only way in this season will be to finish inside the top 16 in points after 26 races. Busch knows qualifying well and picking up stage points will be important, two things Richard Childress Racing has struggled to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll see how it plays out, but obviously everybody\u2019s going to look toward the regular season and maximizing all the stage points, things like that. Points racing, basically,\u201d Busch said. \u201cThat lends itself to having to qualify good on Saturdays in order to be up there, up front, holding onto your track position for the first stage and getting that first stage point. <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s probably our No. 1 pullback with RCR is we don\u2019t tend to qualify good and hold onto the first stage points. That\u2019s where we really get hurt throughout the season is just our stage points and how much we have there. We\u2019ve got to get better on all that. We\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n