New championship format comes at perfect time for NASCAR 

If the sports world is the open sea, NASCAR is currently a boat teetering back and forth amid a summer thunderstorm. But Monday's announcement of a return to the 10-race "Chase" championship format should act as calmer waters. 

In recent months, NASCAR has been rocked from just about every angle. Fan frustration with the now-former playoff format only grew after the Cup Series championship race on Nov. 2, in which Kyle Larson stole the title from a dominant Denny Hamlin after a late caution. The sport was then in the spotlight during its anti-trust trial in a case brought against it by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports. 

The trial eventually ended in a settlement, but not before damning text messages sent by former NASCAR commissioner Steve Phelps led to Phelps announcing that he would resign at the end of January. There were also the tragic deaths of former driver Michael Annett, former driver Greg Biffle, his family and three friends, and Dennis Hamlin, the father of Cup Series superstar Denny Hamlin. 

And that's just everything that the sport and those involved in it have been through in roughly two months. 

But with cars on track at Bowman Gray Stadium in less than three weeks, NASCAR's decision to return to the "Chase" format it used from 2004-13 is an acknowledgement that the sanctioning body heard its fans, who were unapologetic in making known their frustrations with the playoff format. 

NASCAR's decision to listen to both fans and industry individuals, such as Hall of Famers Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr., showcases a conscious effort by the sport to weigh its options, rather than impulsively double down on a format that has long been panned by fans and media. For a sport in the middle of an aforementioned rough offseason, it's just what the doctor ordered. 

How change shifts attention on NASCAR going into 2026

The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season will officially kick off with the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15. And rather than the talk surrounding the eventual winner of the 'Great American Race' being that a victory earns said driver a playoff berth, the winning driver and team can fully celebrate a win in NASCAR's biggest race without thinking about postseason implications. 

For the first time in a long time, NASCAR will have positive momentum behind it going into 2026. A simpler championship format that was present during NASCAR's peak in popularity in 2004-05 is sure to drag some old fans back in front of their local Fox station during the Daytona 500, and at the very least, the negative attention always swirling around the playoffs at any given time during the season will vanish. 

Did Monday's announcement make every fan happy? Likely not. But it was a massive, massive step in the right direction for a sport that just needed a win in any way it could get one.