Chase Elliott Gives Glowing Endorsement of Full Season Points System Amid Heated Debate

What’s Happening?

Amidst a heated battle between the media, fans, and garage area about what points system would be most popular for NASCAR to crown their champion, NASCAR’s most Popular Driver, Chase Elliott, has thrown his hat into the ring for a return to the classic full-season system.

Here's one for ya: I asked @chaseelliott about the topic of the week with the NASCAR championship format debate, and he endorsed full-season points.

Chase: "We've had a really good and competitive battle to the regular season (championship) over — correct me if I'm wrong — the…

— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) July 25, 2025

When asked his opinion on the ongoing conversation about NASCAR’s Championship format, Elliott told Jeff Gluck of The Athletic that he sees no reason NASCAR could return to a full-season points system. Elliott claims that close regular-season points battles are enough evidence for him to base his opinion on, saying it “looks pretty solid to me.”

When fans talk about the full-season points system, for most of NASCAR’s history, they often cite runaway champions, who are crowned weeks before the season finale. In Elliott’s opinion, “So what? Let’s celebrate the fact that somebody ran away with it, that somebody was just that good.”

Throughout the discussions about changing the current format or even reverting back to a traditional format, some fans say that motorsports are unique and do not require a playoff. The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Champion seemingly agrees, telling Gluck, “Motorsports does not have to be like everybody else to be successful.”

The Playoff Debate as of Late

While this debate over full season vs. playoffs has raged since 2004, it has gained new support from fans of all generations. Earlier this week, comments from SiriusXM NASCAR Radio re-ignited the flames, with Mark Martin, a strong advocate of the full-season points system, (allegedly) accidentally in the crosshairs.

Martin, who is on the committee assembled by NASCAR to find a new points system or playoff format, has gone as far as to conduct online polls and guide the conversation about returning to NASCAR’s ‘traditional’ championship format. Friday afternoon, Martin responded to these comments on X, posting, “Mad respect for @chaseelliott here.”

Though most see the return of a full-season points system as unlikely, the grassroots campaign to return to the system should not be overlooked by NASCAR. Officials have yet to confirm whether or not the Playoff system or a version of it will be back in 2026, though it seems as if it will be.

What do you think about this? Let us know your opinion on Discord or X. Don’t forget that you can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.