NASCAR will announce a major change on Monday at 3:30 p.m.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β NASCAR’s long-anticipated change to its championship format will be announced next week, the sanctioning body said Thursday.
The announcement will be made on Monday at 3:30 p.m. during a special “Inside the Race” show that will be livestreamed from NASCAR’s Concord studios on NASCAR.com, YouTube, and the NASCAR Channel on Tubi and other outlets.
NASCAR’s brief release gave no indication on what the new format would be, leaving a few more days for race fans to speculate on the changes.
Since 2014, NASCAR has operated in on a playoff format that allowed 16 drivers to compete for the title in a 10-race postseason, while the remaining drivers still competed. The playoff grid was filled by the winners of the season’s first 26 races and filled out by drivers based on points until the field reached 16.Β
The 10-race postseason was split into four elimination-style rounds, with the first three rounds being three races each. After each round, the bottom four drivers were eliminated based on points until the season’s final race, when four drivers raced for the title. Drivers could clinch their way into the following round by winning races.
While the format has created some exciting moments over the years, including Matt Kenseth’s infamous 2015 Martinsville run-in with Joey Logano, Ross Chastain’s 2022 Martinsville “Hail Melon,” and a dramatic finish to the 2018 Charlotte Roval race, many fans have pushed for a change.
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Before the playoff format, NASCAR used a 10-race “Chase” format for around a decade. Beginning in 2004, the Chase allowed the season’s Top 10 point drivers to compete for the title. The field was expanded to 12 drivers in 2007.
Before the chase, a full-season points format was used in one form or another, going back to NASCAR’s inception. From 1975 to 2003, NASCAR used a points system known as the “Latford system” to accumulate points for a full-season championship.Β
Before 1975, various point systems were used to add up points throughout the races, but the full-season concept essentially remained the same.
Monday’s announcement comes less than a month before The Clash at Bowman Gray, an exhibition race that unofficially begins the NASCAR season. The 2026 Daytona 500 officially begins the NASCAR Cup Series season on Feb. 15.
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