The new NASCAR Chase is actually a little bit old.
NASCAR has gone back — mostly — to the championship system it had from 2004-2013, where the eligible drivers compete in a 10-race mini-season and the driver with the most points wins the title.
But the 2026 version is different. Back in the “OG Chase” era, no one had even heard of stages and stage points. Plus, a victory being worth 1.57 times that of finishing second was nowhere close; it used to be worth about 1.08-1.15 times as much.
Plus, the reset and number of drivers were different. Then, it was 10 and 12; now it’s 16.
So here’s your guide to the new Chase.
Who Is In It?
Denny Hamlin enters The Chase as the points’ leader.
The top-16 drivers from the regular season are seeded and awarded points based on their regular-season points finish.
They are: Denny Hamlin (2,100 points), Ryan Blaney (2,075), Tyler Reddick (2,065), Ty Gibbs (2,060), Chase Briscoe (2,055), Christopher Bell (2,050), Kyle Larson (2,045), Chase Elliott (2,040), Joey Logano (2,035), Chris Buescher (2,030), Daniel Suárez (2,025), Carson Hocevar (2,020), William Byron (2,015), Bubba Wallace (2,010), Austin Cindric (2,005) and Ryan Preece (2,005).
What Are The Tracks?
The 10 tracks are all ovals: Darlington (1.336 miles in length), Gateway (1.25), Bristol (0.533), Kansas (1.5), Las Vegas (1.5), Charlotte (1.5), Phoenix (1.0), Talladega (2.66), Martinsville (0.526) and Homestead (1.5).
Can Anyone Win?
Yes, but NASCAR’s stat research arm, NASCAR Insights, did the models and said 85 percent of the time, the winner will come from the top-six seeds.
So How Is This Different?
In the previous format, 16 drivers started in The Chase and after every three races, the four worst drivers in the standings were eliminated — that was unless they had a win in the round, which automatically advanced them to the next round. In the season finale, four drivers started with equal points and the one who finished the best was the champion.
Is It Less Intense Without Eliminations?
Christopher Bell noted that the stakes are higher in NASCAR’s new postseason format.
Actually, not for some of the drivers. For the drivers who were strong previously, they could potentially win and not worry about the remaining race(s) in a round or even lock themselves into the next round on points before the last race of the round.
This is the way Christopher Bell put it to me on Wednesday:
“This seems more like racing, where the previous format was more like a game,” Bell said. “All it was was about being above the cutline. You had to be top 12, then you had to be top eight, then you had to be top four.
“And that’s the only thing that mattered until you got down to the last race. Where now, you’re not safe. You can’t be [just] above the cutline. You’ve got to go out there and perform. Every position, every race matters.”
Are There Any Drivers Familiar With This System?
Yes. Two drivers — Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano — competed in the old 10-race Chase format. Here is what they told me on Wednesday regarding the difference between now and the old 10-race, non-elimination Chase:
“It’s a little bit different. I do believe that a driver will be able to make up more ground. Certainly, when we had The Chase before, there [were] no stages, there was no big bonus for winning a race. I think that some ground can be made up toward those last four or five races, when probably would mark someone out of it [previously].” — Denny Hamlin
“It’s somewhere in between the old Chase and the playoffs and what this Chase is. The wins are worth a lot. … Stage racing has changed that a lot as well, and the seeding process [not including wins] is … a bit different than what The Chase was back in the day. We’re calling it The Chase, but it’s different than what the old Chase was. It’s its own monster.” — Joey Logano
Are Any Of The Tracks Repeats From Earlier This Year?
Kyle Larson celebrated his win at Homestead-Miami Speedway in March 2025.
Yes. Only Gateway (World Wide Technology Raceway) and Homestead are tracks that drivers have not visited yet this year.
At those eight tracks, Hamlin scored the most points (374) and Logano had the fewest (173).
Can Logano actually rally, as he has done the last couple of months of the season?
“You told me things [in that stat] I didn’t even know,” the three-time Cup champion Logano told me. “Obviously, I don’t care [about it] that much. I looked at all the race tracks, and I’ve won at every one of those tracks. And we can win at all of them again.”
Is This Format For Cup Only?
It is for all three national series, except the others have fewer races. The O’Reilly Series has a nine-race Chase that begins at Darlington; trucks have a seven-race Chase that begins at Bristol.
Who Has The Most Experience In The Chase?
Denny Hamlin is making his 20th Chase appearance. Joey Logano (13), Ryan Blaney (10), Kyle Larson (10) and Chase Elliott (10) are the ones with 10 or more.
There are two drivers new to The Chase, Carson Hocevar and Ryan Preece.
Why Did Team Penske Change Pit Crews?
Austin Cindric (L) lost his pit crew to Ryan Blaney (R) in a swap for The Chase.
It isn’t rare for a team to take a strong, over-the-wall pit crew off a car that didn’t make The Chase and put them on a car that is still in it. But Team Penske actually swapped the pit crews of Ryan Blaney (second seed) and Austin Cindric (15th seed).
Blaney’s crews (he’s had two different ones this year) have combined to rank 32nd this year, according to a NASCAR Insights formula. Cindric’s crew was 10th.
Cindric was philosophical about it when he talked to me.
“It’s understandable from the team’s perspective, right?” Cindric said. “At the end of the day, as Roger [Penske] always reminds us, racing is still a business and obviously Ryan, the 12 team, has a great chance to win a championship.
“It’s also not something I necessarily have to like because … I’m really close with the guys that I work with.”
Blaney said on a personal level, he felt bad about the swap. He did not ask for the change.
“We shared a lot of good memories together,” Blaney told me. “We won a few races together. We won and lost as a team. … Team Penske [leadership] thought what is the best way that we can all figure out to be successful together and this was their way of doing it.”
Depending on the organization, even crew chiefs can have little say regarding pit crews. They are often a separate department that is overseen by a competition director who determines the assignments.
“The way Penske thinks is how can we do this better? What is the best possible way that we can do these things to win a championship, bring a championship home to Team Penske?” Blaney said. “You have to separate the personal and business side.”
Will Daniel Suárez Miss Track Activity For The Birth Of His First Child?
Daniel Suárez will still be at track even if his wife delivers their first child.
No. Suárez’s wife, Julia, is due in the next couple of weeks but Suárez said he will be in the race car.
“Julia and I have had conversations over that,” Suarez told me. “If this was last year, for example, it would be a no-brainer. But the way that we’re running right now, being in the playoffs in The Chase — we were one point away from finishing top 10 in regular season points.
“[That’s] how tight things can be after several races. We just can’t let anything affect the progress that we make in practice, qualifying, in the race. Hopefully it’s a Monday through Friday baby.”
Who Are The Biggest Surprises In The Chase?
Suárez no doubt. He was 29th in points last year at Trackhouse Racing and now is 11th and has been above the cutline for much of the year.
“We have good people,” Suárez said. “We have a good system. And we have fast race cars. … I don’t think I’m driving better. I’m just driving a faster race car.”
What About Tyler Reddick, Who Has Five Wins?
Tyler Reddick said that, despite a great start to 2026, he’s got more to accomplish.
Normally, five wins would be considered a great season. Reddick won five of the first nine races but then hit the skids.
In the first 14 races, his average starting spot was 5.86 and average finish was 5.57. In the last 12, his average starting spot was 12.8 and average finish was 20. He led 362 laps in the first 14 races and has led 87 laps since then.
The 23XI driver said he feels good going into The Chase.
“It may not necessarily be that obvious to the outside, but we’ve been working on the tough days, what we’ve been able to get out of it,” Reddick told me. “Where our heads are at is in a good place.”
So would five wins — including the Daytona 500 — be a good season?
“It’s not enough,” Reddick said. “I don’t think it’s enough for anybody.”
Finally, How About The Defending Champion?
Defending NASCAR champion Kyle Larson says that he’s trying his best every week.
Kyle Larson won the title last year without winning a race in the postseason. He takes a 50-race winless streak into this year’s Chase.
So is he just trying to win and not worry about the championship?
“I just want to try and do the best job we can every week,” Larson told me. “And if that means the championship is coming, great. If that means the win is coming, great. If either of those don’t come, it’s not like we didn’t try.
“We’re trying every week.”
Uh, try harder?!?
“I can only push the pedal down so far,” he said.
WHAT YOU SHOULD READ NEXT
Here’s why every driver in NASCAR’s Sweet 16 could — or could not — end up winning The Chase.
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