NASCAR Revives The Chase, Ditching Winner-Take-All Playoff Finale

Racing followers are lastly free from the irritating chaos of manufactured “Sport 7” moments. NASCAR introduced on Monday the brand new championship format that might be used within the Cup Sequence this season. After months of deliberationthe four-round postseason endeavor and winner-take-all finale have been thrown out for a 10-race mini-season to crown a champion. In the event you’re a inventory automobile racing die-hard, this format ought to sound acquainted. The Chase is again!

NASCAR revived its unique postseason construction with a couple of tweaks. The highest 16 drivers within the factors standings on the finish of the common season will qualify for the Chase. The “win-and-you’re-in” qualification path from the Playoffs has been fully eradicated. As a substitute, drivers will now obtain 55 factors for a race win, in comparison with the earlier 40-point haul. The Playoff Factors system has additionally been scrapped, however drivers will nonetheless rating regular-season factors for stage outcomes.

Like with the unique Chase carried out in 2004, there might be a factors reset after a 26-race common season. The factors chief will begin with 2,100 factors, the No. 2 seeded driver may have 2,075 factors, and the No. 3 seed may have 2,065. The beginning whole will lower by 5 factors down the remainder of the postseason discipline. As soon as the Chase begins, there might be no discipline cuts or further factors resets. The champion will merely be the driving force with probably the most factors after the ultimate race.

When the Chase was dropped for the Playoffs after the 2013 season, it was instantly criticized for minimizing the significance of the common season and creating the potential for ridiculous championship outcomes. With a single race win sufficient to qualify, drivers locked of their postseason spot in February or March and spent months with no aggressive jeopardy till the Playoffs began over Labor Day weekend.

The actual chaos started within the Playoffs, and final 12 months’s Xfinity Sequence title struggle was the format’s most egregious instance. Connor Zilisch dominated NASCAR’s second division. The 19-year-old gained 10 races and racked up 20 top-five finishes over the 33-race season. He additionally scored extra factors within the playoffs than anybody else. Nevertheless, Zilisch misplaced the championship to Jesse Love after ending third within the winner-take-all finale. Love solely gained two races, the Daytona season-opener and the Phoenix finale. Sure, the Chase might be carried out within the renamed O’Reilly Sequence and Craftsman Truck Sequence as nicely.

NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell claimed that the 2025 Xfinity Sequence finale had no bearing on the physique’s resolution to deliver again the Chase. The chief additionally stated that the Chase was a format distinctive to NASCAR, which balanced rewarding season-long consistency and successful, and famous that it is an easier format to clarify to informal followers.