NASCAR’s Search for a New Playoff: What You Need to Know (So Far)
What’s Happening? NASCAR is publicly seeking a new Playoff or even Championship Points system for the future. This story will unfold…
Despite a groundswell of support for a full-season points system, NASCAR’s recent announcement that its championship weekend will return to Homestead-Miami Speedway suggests that fans could see the sport’s current round-by-round playoff system in 2026.
Since Joey Logano won his controversial championship at Phoenix in November, NASCAR fans and industry members have united in an effort to persuade the sport to find a better way to crown their champion.
Fans were angry that Logano, who had one of the worst statistical championship seasons of all time, was able to recover in the ten-race playoff to win what some deem an ‘undeserved’ championship.
While NASCAR had been hesitant to change the controversial format in the past, the first inkling that change could be on the way came in a Nov. 12 interview with Elton Sawyer, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President of Competition.
In that interview with SiriusXM, Sawyer said, “We’re open. You know, we’re all ears on it, and we have some ideas, but we want to make sure as an industry, you know, we’re doing the right thing for our sport and the right thing to crown our champions.”
NASCAR later confirmed that they will not change any aspect of the format for the 2025 season. However, NASCAR brass created a committee of stakeholders, Hall of Famers, and industry members to explore the potential for changes in the coming year.
What’s Happening? NASCAR is publicly seeking a new Playoff or even Championship Points system for the future. This story will unfold…
One route (that is unlikely yet growing in popularity) for change is to scrap the playoffs entirely. This move would mark the return to a full season points format used by almost every other motorsport in the world. NASCAR even used this system for many years before introducing the playoffs, then known as the Chase, in 2004.
Though it seemed unlikely, Dale Earnhardt Jr. recently said that there was a chance that the full season format still stood a chance. However, the language in NASCAR’s recent announcement that they will return to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the championship in 2024 hints that the playoffs will likely be back in 2026.
What’s Happening? During a recent episode of The Dale Jr. Download, Dale Earnhardt Jr. confirmed that NASCAR continues to discuss possible…
So, what exactly are we talking about? Well, a deep dive into the press release sent to the media on Tuesday uses playoff terminology when discussing the 2026 season.
One of the first lines of the release states, “The announcement marks a Homestead homecoming for the conclusion to the NASCAR Playoffs, as the track previously hosted the NASCAR Championship from 2002 to 2019. NASCAR Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be held on Nov. 6-8, 2026.”
The line, “for the conclusion to the NASCAR Playoffs,” was pretty obvious to some. NASCAR even used the term when referring to the future of the now-former host of championship weekend, Phoenix Raceway.
The release goes on to say, “As part of the 2026 NASCAR schedule, Phoenix Raceway will continue to host two Cup Series race dates and be a part of the NASCAR Championship as it will continue to host a prominent race in the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Playoffs.”
This phrasing, of course, obviously alludes to a playoff system in use in 2026, and, of course, to the dismay of even some fans of NASCAR, using a postseason system, the return of elimination rounds to the playoffs.
What’s Happening? NASCAR will return to Homestead-Miami Speedway for its 2026 Championship Weekend. It will be the first track to host…
While this wording could mean the Playoffs are coming back in 2026, there is, of course, the asterisk that the use of these terms could be placeholders, as nothing is set in stone with the system beyond this season.
Regardless, these aren’t the only clues downplaying any fans’ hopes of a return to a full-season points system.
Like Earnhardt said on the Apr. 29 episode of the Dale Jr Download, “It has a very tiny percent chance of actually happening, near zero, but it is in the conversation.” Though his comments gave supporters hope, the return of this system, now abandoned for over 20 years, always seemed unlikely.
Prior to Logano’s unlikely win at Phoenix, NASCAR President, then NASCAR COO, Steve O’Donnell said on Nov. 8, “We’ll absolutely look at what form the Playoffs take in the offseason. You always learn, like I said before. But playoffs in and of itself, as Steve [Phelps] said, you cannot argue with the racing of the Playoffs.”
Of course, any reference to the Playoffs does not mean NASCAR won’t change the current structure at all; there is still room to reshuffle what already exists. This could be done by inverting the system, changing the number of races or competitors in each round, or even eliminating the win and in. There are many ways to fix the current system.
However, in 2026, NASCAR’s champion could once again be decided by rounds rather than a traditional method.
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