1. “Win and you’re in” is gone

Probably the best adjustment made beyond the overall championship changes was the elimination of “win and you’re in” to make the post-season. We’ll no longer have the scenario of someone like a Harrison Burton or Austin Dillon getting a fluke win, then taking a place in the battle for the Cup that they really don’t deserve based off of one race. Qualifying for the Chase now means you have to be in the top 16 in points, regardless of how many races you win. 

For example, if Shane Van Gisbergen wins 5 road course races but finishes 30th every other race, he probably won’t be in the top 16 and would miss the Chase, and that’s fine by me. It’s about being good all year now.

2. One-race finale is gone

This was perhaps the one thing everyone agreed on and we knew was going to be ended. To put it bluntly, the fact that we had one race deciding a championship (between the four remaining drivers) for over a decade seems silly in retrospect, and some drivers got a truly raw deal out of that setup (including Denny Hamlin in 2025 and Carl Edwards in 2016). Goodbye and good riddance to this setup, and let’s not go back to it ever again.

3. More points for winning

The driver to take the checkered flag in each points race will now earn 55 points, up from 40 in the previous setup; 2nd place will only get 35 points, 3rd place gets 34 points, etc.

While stage points are still in play (up to 10 points can be earned for each stage), this wider split between the top two spots will encourage drivers to be even more focused on securing the top spot, which should lead to exciting battles up front at the end of races. Those 15 extra points will be a major motivator.

4. NASCAR listened to fans

As NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, who echoed fans as one of the big cheerleaders of going back to full season points, said after this announcement, this is a win for all sides.

Those who liked playoffs still get one reset for the final 10 races, and those who wanted full-season are now as close as they’ve been in 23 years. Going from Chase to full season in future years, if the sentiment leads in that direction, would be an easier next step.

Martin indicated that prior to him pushing for a Chase format, NASCAR was leaning toward keeping playoffs and having a four-race final round, but thankfully that was avoided due to voices like Mark and the fans being vocal on the topic. And those voices were heard by NASCAR as they made their decisions on the format.

“I think that this is the most perfect compromise that you could ever ask for,” Martin said. “It’s going to require our 2026 champion to be lightning fast and incredibly consistent, and that’s what we can all get behind. So, I’m really excited. I think it’s fantastic. I would just appeal to the race fans, all the race fans, but especially the classic fans who say to me, ‘I don’t watch anymore.’ I say we need you. Come on back. We’re headed in the right direction. Come back and join with us, and we’ll keep making progress.”

5. Every race counts

There were some very dubious situations in the former setup that are now gone. For example, if you won the first race in a playoff round of 3 races, the next two weeks were essentially throwaway weeks, and you started prepping for the next playoff round since you were locked in.

That is no longer the case. Every point will matter in the first 26 races, as you battle to stay in the top 16 and the Chase. And every point will matter in the final 10 races — as those 16 drivers battle for the title. Nothing can be taken for granted, which is how it should be.

6. Natural eliminations

Simplification is the common theme with all of these changes, and it’s for the best. For example, let’s examine the matter of when drivers will be officially eliminated from the championship.

Just like in other sports, where teams who have losing or average win-loss records will naturally get eliminated from the playoffs at some point, the drivers in 17th place and further back who can’t hang during the first 26 races will not be included in the title battle. Then, during the 10-race Chase, week by week if drivers struggle, they’ll naturally become further and further away from the leader, and many will eliminate themselves with several weeks left in the season.

Ideally, we’ll head to Homestead with the championship fight developing naturally in a way that leaves 3 to 6 drivers still mathematically eligible for the title (which is more likely now that we have a total of 76 points available each race).

Natural eliminations like this are light years better than arbitrarily dropping four drivers from a playoff every three weeks. It’s how motorsport has operated for years — keep up in the points or you eliminate yourself.

And with eliminations no longer being a constant theme of conversation, we can now focus more on the winners of the races each week, not how the cutoff line looks.

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There will no doubt be some fans who still complain about this system, and say that even one reset is too many, stages and stage points need to go away, or other complaints. And they have the right to do so.

But the reality is we truly did get the best possible scenario with this announcement, and I hope that over time even those doubters are likely to come around. 

There were some memorable battles in the early Chase era (from the 2004 battle at Homestead where Kurt Busch lost his wheel and still won the title; to the ultra-tight duel between Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart in 2011), and I expect more great battles to play out in years to come.

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Follow AutoTechReviews on Instagram at @autotechreviews, and on Twitter @AutoTechReview. Follow Matt Myftiu on Twitter @MattMyftiu.