1/13/26

Yesterday, NASCAR announced a return to The Chase format in crowning a champion in its three highest series. From 2014 through last season, NASCAR developed a playoff format that was largely met with a negative reaction amongst the most ardent NASCAR fans. The Chase was used from 2004 to 2013, and The Chase 2.0 has some tweaks in the format from the old format.

In the revamped Chase format, there will still be 16 drivers in the Cup Series, 12 in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and 10 drivers in the Truck Series, but the win-and-in part of the playoffs is gone. Race winners receive 55 points for a win, up from 40 points. Playoff points are gone, and at the start of The Chase, the regular season points winner earns an additional 25 points. They will start The Chase at 2,100 points, second at 2,075, third at 2,065, and a five-point gap from fourth to 16th place. The Chase is 10 races in the Cup Series, nine in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and seven in the Truck Series. There are no points reset after a certain number of races, like in the playoff format, and the driver with the most points at the end of The Chase is the champion.

Fans have been opining for a new format, and this change has been met with a positive response. NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell said that “everything was on the table” regarding shaking up the format for determining a champion. The straw that broke the camel’s back was last November’s Championship Race weekend. Corey Heim in the Truck Series won 12 races, but needed a green-white-checkered finish to pull off the win for the Championship after having a dominant season. Connor Zilisch took the NASCAR world by storm with his record-setting year in 2025, but finished second in the Championship Race to Jesse Love, and despite winning 10 races, including The Pacific Office Automation 147 in Portland, didn’t win the championship due to a late restart. The final nail in the coffin came in the Cup Series race. Denny Hamlin, who had suddenly turned into a crowd favorite after news of his father’s deteriorating health, was leading with three laps to go. William Byron’s tire blew, and Hamlin’s three-second lead evaporated as the caution came out, and Hamlin couldn’t get by Kyle Larson in the last two laps to lose the championship.

NASCAR’s history is treasured by its fans more than any other sport or sports league. Fans embrace tradition and don’t welcome unnecessary change. NASCAR is also unique in the sense that it’s a family-run sport, with the France family still owning NASCAR. NASCAR took a leap of faith in bringing the glory days of the sport from the 1980s through the 2000s back into the modern sports cycle, but ultimately it didn’t work. The sport is still trying to create stars that can crossover into the mainstream culture like Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others were able to do.

Listening to the fans’ complaints and considering their thoughts has been something NASCAR does pretty well at. They’ve made changes to the car (i.e., adding horsepower), attempting to build tires with more tire wear from Goodyear, and now the overhaul of determining a champion. Perhaps other leagues should take a look at the value of not pissing off their most ardent fans at the risk of blindly and wildly adding new ones.

NASCAR won’t be racing in the Pacific Northwest in 2026, but hopefully one of the series will head back. The Cup Series won’t head to Portland International Raceway, as the facilities aren’t up to their standards, but maybe a street race awaits the PNW. Seattle was a city that was brought up in preliminary discussions about future street races. With Amazon streaming five NASCAR races per year in the new media rights deal, maybe they can get a “home race” in the future.

Until then, PNW NASCAR fans will sadly watch from afar. At least there is a more legitimate championship format.

www.elisportsnetwork.com

Hyak Motorsports is proud to announce a multi-race sponsorship with Chef Boyardee, welcoming the iconic brand to the NASCAR Cup Series. Chef Boyardee will serve as the primary sponsor for 3 Cup Series races for driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and the No. 47 team and will be an associate sponsor for the 2026 season.

The collaboration aligns two brands built on consistency, reliability, and connecting with fans across generations. Chef Boyardee, a longtime household name, will be showcased through on-car branding, team assets, and integrated fan-engagement activations designed to reach audiences both at the track and at home.

“We’re excited to welcome Chef Boyardee to the Hyak Motorsports family. They’re a brand everyone knows, and bringing them into NASCAR is something the entire team is looking forward to,” said Stenhouse. “We’re ready to start the season off strong and represent Chef Boyardee throughout the year.”

This iconic paint scheme will debut at NASCAR Clash on Sunday, February 1, at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston Salem, NC. Chef Boyardee’s sponsorship with Hyak Motorsports will then continue at the Daytona 500, a marquee event with added significance for the team and driver. Stenhouse Jr., the 2023 Daytona 500 winner, has established himself as one of the sport’s most competitive drivers on superspeedways, making the regular season-opening event an ideal launch point for the sponsorship.

“Ricky has been an incredible ambassador for our brands in the 12 years that we have been sponsoring his car in the Cup Series,” said Henk Hartong, CEO of Brynwood Partners. “We are excited to bring Chef Boyardee back to the track at Daytona and Talladega this season, both places where Ricky has taken the checkered flag previously.  We look forward to bringing the Chef Boyardee 47 to Victory Lane at Daytona in February.”

In addition to race-day visibility, the sponsorship will include digital and social media content, behind-the-scenes features, and fan-focused activations highlighting the connection between Chef Boyardee, Hyak Motorsports, and NASCAR’s passionate fan base.

After Daytona, Chef Boyardee will be on the No. 47 Chevrolet on April 26 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

Hyak Motorsports PR

“The Chase” is returning to NASCAR in 2026, which NASCAR unveiled a new format that favors a season long battle for the championship rather than a winner take all format that we saw in previous years.

“The Chase” format was used in NASCAR’s premier series from 2004-2013 with NASCAR determining the seasons champion with a cumulative points accumulated over the course of the 10 race playoff races.

Beginning this season the champion crowned at seasons end in Homestead will have accumulated the most points throughout the 10 race playoff span.

Prior to the beginning of the 2025 season, NASCAR formed the “Playoff Committee”, which consisted of drivers, members of the media and executives. The panel discussed throughout the 2025 season plans for a change of the playoff format after NASCAR’s previous format which gave drivers a free ride to the playoffs with a win in the regular season and a winner take all format for the final race. Fans voiced their opinions on social media for a change in the format favoring a champion crowned with a culmination of points rather than one race deciding the champion.

“Was it the best format we could go with?,” Steve O’Donnell said during the press conference referring to the previous format NASCAR used.

Once the playoff field is set, the leader in points standings will have 2100 points heading into the 10 race playoff races. A ten point interval will separate second and third place while a five point interval will separate all other drivers.

Total points once “The Chase” begins: 1st: 2100 points, Second: 2075 points, Third: 2065 points, Fourth: 2060 points, Fifth: 2055 points, Sixth: 2050 points, Seventh: 2045 points, Eighth: 2040 points, Ninth: 2035 points, Tenth: 2030 points, Eleventh: 2025 points, Twelfth: 2020 points, Thirteenth: 2015 points, Fourteenth: 2010 points, Fifteenth: 2005 points, Sixteenth: 2000 points

Drivers in attendance included Chase Elliott, Chase Briscoe and Ryan Blaney. Also in attendance were NASCAR hall of famers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin as well as Steve O’Donnell from NASCAR.

Chase Briscoe said during the press conference that he believes this format is easier for the fans to follow.

“I’m a fan of the sport and now I know I’m compelled to plug in every week,” Chase Briscoe said. “Every single race, every single lap will have more importance.”

The 2026 NASCAR season gets underway with “The Clash” at Bowman Gray Stadium on Sunday, February 1st and the 68th running of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 15th.

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR’s nearly two-year study into an overhaul of its championship-deciding format concluded Monday with the reveal that in 2026 the stock car series will return to a 10-race version closely resembling the very first iteration introduced 22 years ago.

The system will return to a 10-race format consisting of the top 16 drivers in the regular-season standings. There will be no driver eliminations every three races, winning will be incentivized and its name will return to “The Chase.” The driver with the most points at the Nov. 8 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be the champion.

“As NASCAR transitions to a revised championship model, the focus is on rewarding driver and team performance each and every race,” NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell said. “At the same time, we want to honor NASCAR’s storied history and the traditions that have made the sport so special.

“Our fans are at the heart of everything we do, and this format is designed to honor their passion every single race weekend.”

The changes come amid fan complaints to periodic tweaks of a system that was largely unchanged from its 2004 introduction to 2013, when Jimmie Johnson won six of his record-tying seven championships.

Changes slowly followed, with eliminations, an expanded field, a win-and-in guarantee and finally a winner-take-all season finale.

Fans had grown weary of the changes. Regular-season victories guaranteed a slot in the 10-race playoffs, a win in any of the first three three-race rounds advanced a driver into the next round, while the bottom three drivers at the end of each round were eliminated.

Finally, the winner was simply the highest-finishing driver among four remaining title contenders in the season finale.

THE TIPPING POINT

That system reached its breaking point in November when Denny Hamlin dominated the race until a late caution changed the final sequence and Kyle Larson won his second title by simply finishing ahead of Hamlin despite Larson not leading a single lap at Phoenix Raceway while mired in a 25-race losing streak.

Hamlin had won two playoff races – a Cup Series high six victories on the season – and led 208 of the 319 laps at Phoenix. He was the leader with three to go when a late caution changed the outcome and sent the race into overtime; Larson finished third, two spots ahead of Hamlin, to automatically claim the championship.

It wasn’t the only race on the final weekend of 2025 that didn’t finish as expected.

Corey Heim had 11 victories at the start of the Truck Series finale at Phoenix but needed to dip his truck low in an outrageous seven-wide scramble in overtime to secure the title. He did pull out the win and NASCAR dodged the controversy of the most consistent driver being denied a championship because of a gimmicky format.

NASCAR wasn’t so fortunate the next night in the Xfinity Series when 10-race winner Connor Zilisch lost the championship because Jesse Love won the race. Love opened the season with a win at Daytona and closed it with a win at Phoenix – his only two victories of the season but good enough in that format for a championship.

Fan discourse – which had been building for several years and intensified after Joey Logano won two titles in three years including in 2024 when he advanced on another’s driver elimination – exploded after Hamlin.

The changes announced Monday were already in the works and came after an extensive review that included collaboration between owners, drivers, automobile manufacturers, tracks, broadcast partners, and fans.

“Going into Phoenix was a hold your breath moment,” O’Donnell said. “We recognize someone winning the championship, absolutely they won it by the rules. But was it the best format that we could go with? The tide had turned in the garage.”

The new format is designed to bolster the importance of each race and reward consistency while maintaining the importance of winning. It will be known as its original name, ‘The Chase,’ with an also accepted use of ‘postseason,’ NASCAR is eliminating the vernacular ‘playoffs’ and ‘regular-season champion.’

NASCAR’S NEW FORMAT

Moving forward, the driver with the most points after the postseason finale will be champion in all three NASCAR national series. The Chase will comprise of the final 10 races for the Cup Series.

NASCAR has eliminated the automatic berth into the playoff field earned by winning during the regular season, a move designed to increase the importance of every event on the schedule and emphasize consistency throughout the regular season.

A race victory win will now earn the winning driver 55 points, up from 40 points, to reward drivers who battle for wins instead of settling for a solid points days. NASCAR hopes it encourages aggressive racing and strong team performance.

Points for all other positions, including stage points, remain the same.

The points leader after the regular season will receive a 25-point cushion over the second seed as the points will be reset for the 16 Chase drivers. A win in a playoff race no longer earns the automatic advancement into the next round – a move NASCAR says prevents teams from using the remainder of that particular round as preparation time for the finale.

Youth motorsport riders of the Sliders Flat Track Racing Program have spent countless hours in recent months learning how to ride dirt and electric bikes and build motorcycles while gaining personal development. 

The Milwaukee youths are preparing for Flat Out Friday, an international motorcycle race that will take place at Fiserv Forum on Feb. 21. The race features over 300 riders of all skill levels.

The Sliders Flat Track Racing Program gives underrepresented youths in Milwaukee free access to electric and dirt bikes, and eventually motorcycles, while introducing them to science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, components. 

“Motorsports is not something that people of color typically participate in and sometimes we’re the only people of color there when we race,” said Venisha Simpson, founder of the Sliders Flat Track Racing Program.  

Lately, Simpson and co-founder Tiger Mabato have been coaching the riders inside the Boys & Girls Club and on a dirt road in Sheboygan County for Flat Out Friday.

“I love this sport because it’s intergenerational and you’ll find people between 4 to 84 racing on the same track,” Simpson said. “The respect level is low between the young and old in the Black community, so with this event and program we’re absorbing from each other.” 

A young engineer on the track

One of the riders in the program is Tiger Mabato’s 11-year-old son Noah. 

His interest in motorbikes started when he was 6 and he complained about the condition of a junkyard dirt bike his dad gifted him. 

By 7, his dad gave him the opportunity to take the dirt bike apart and rebuild it on his own. 

“Engineering and building things is fun to me, but I have to learn to do this on my own without any help,” Noah said. 

After rebuilding the dirt bike, he crashed into a tree, leaving him hesitant about the sport and even joining the program. 

Noah regained interest after seeing another kid from the program race on a dirt bike.

“I crash often when practicing and racing, but now I know what to do,” Noah said. 

Currently, Noah is building a Suzuki RM 85cc dirt bike for his third Flat Out Friday competition.

“This will become my official bike because my last bike was causing me to lose pretty badly,” he said. 

He placed ninth last year in the open youth class after falling and crashing his bike, but this year wants to come back stronger.

“It took me a while to get back up last year, but I’m more excited about trying it again,” he said.  

According to Tiger Mabato and Simpson, Noah Mabato and Donald Amartey are the only Black youth racers that ride vintage Harley-Davidson bikes in Milwaukee. 

“Noah and Donald are making history right now,” Tiger Mabato said.

Adjusting quickly

Justice Osei, 9, is a second-year rider in the Sliders Flat Track Racing Program. 

He started without knowing how to ride a regular bike but caught on quickly. 

“They taught him that day in just a couple hours how to ride one,” his mom, Malaika Osei, said. 

Justice wasn’t drawn into traditional sports or video gaming, but with motorsports found a connection to the people and skills he learned. 

“When I’m racing and sometimes make a mistake, I try to lock in and stay focused after it,” he said. 

Tiger Mabato is amazed to see kids like Justice latch onto the sport.

“These kids go through so many ups, downs and tears, it’s crazy how quickly they adapted to everything,” Mabato said. “This is a different level of excitement.”

Prioritizing safety

Before getting on a motorbike, every rider and parent is made aware of how dangerous the sport can be. 

“The hardest thing is seeing your kid crash and tumble at times, but we prepare them for that, and our biggest thing is safety,” Mabato said. 

To ensure safety, the program provides students with motorbikes, helmets, gloves, padding and vests. Parents are responsible for purchasing jeans, long-sleeve shirts and racing boots.

“It’s dangerous, but it’s fun,” Justice said.

Justice broke three toes during a practice from not wearing the proper racing boots. 

His mom saw him take a tumble that day on the dirt road 

“I took off running once I saw him crying and grabbing his foot,” Malaika Osei said. 

Justice didn’t even realize at first that his toes were broken. 

“I didn’t even know until a week later,” he said. 

After purchasing a new pair of boots, Justice was ready to ride again.

Building other skills

Motorsports is more than just racing and maintenance.

Flat Out Friday co-founder Jeremy Prach wants riders to know the sport is about developing skills that keep you improving. 

“I think the thing that hurts the most is your pride when you fall because many think they’re going to do awesome in a race,” Prach said. “But without a skill base, it’ll be hard to do awesome.”

At the Sliders Flat Track Racing Program, Simpson and Tiger Mabato teach the riders confidence, self-regulation, quick problem solving and self-respect. 

“These kids are tough and it takes a different type of mentality to race with these bikes,” Mabato said. 

Simpson and Mabato also teach the youth riders how to network and maintain relationships with people like Cameron Smith, one of the few professional Black racers in the country.

It takes a community

To ensure the program has everything it needs, places like Cream City Moto, STACYC, Southeast Sales, Proplate and other local organizations pitch in to donate equipment, design graphics, cover fees for events and more. 

The program also received grants from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and Comoto Cares. 

“The race community is very supportive and I love that,” Simpson said. 

Tiger Mabato encourages parents to get their children involved in things that spark their interest even if it’s scary and wants them to know that the race part of the program is optional.

“There’s no better feeling than seeing your kid go around the track,” he said. 

For more information

If you are interested in becoming a part of the program, click here to register and join the waitlist for spring.

To watch, support and cheer the youth riders on at Flat Out Friday, tickets start at $28. 

Related

By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR’s nearly two-year study into an overhaul of its championship-deciding format concluded Monday with the reveal that in 2026 the stock car series will return to a 10-race version closely resembling the very first iteration introduced 22 years ago.

The system will return to a 10-race format consisting of the top 16 drivers in the regular-season standings. There will be no driver eliminations every three races, winning will be incentivized and its name will return to “The Chase.” The driver with the most points at the Nov. 8 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway will be the champion.

“As NASCAR transitions to a revised championship model, the focus is on rewarding driver and team performance each and every race,” NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell said. “At the same time, we want to honor NASCAR’s storied history and the traditions that have made the sport so special.

“Our fans are at the heart of everything we do, and this format is designed to honor their passion every single race weekend.”

The changes come amid fan complaints to periodic tweaks of a system that was largely unchanged from its 2004 introduction to 2013 when Jimmie Johnson won six of his record-tying seven championships.

Changes slowly followed, with eliminations, an expanded field, a win-and-in guarantee and finally a winner-take-all season finale.

Fans had grown weary of the changes. Regular-season victories guaranteed a slot in the 10-race playoffs, a win in any of the first three three-race rounds advanced a driver into the next round, while the bottom three drivers at the end of each round were eliminated.

Finally, the winner was simply the highest-finishing driver among four remaining title contenders in the season finale.

THE TIPPING POINT

That system reached its breaking point in November when Denny Hamlin dominated the race until a late caution changed the final sequence and Kyle Larson won his second title by simply finishing ahead of Hamlin despite Larson not leading a single lap at Phoenix Raceway while mired in a 25-race losing streak.

Hamlin had won two playoff races – a Cup Series high six victories on the season – and led 208 of the 319 laps at Phoenix. He was the leader with three to go when a late caution changed the outcome and sent the race into overtime; Larson finished third, two spots ahead of Hamlin, to automatically claim the championship.

It wasn’t the only race on the final weekend of 2025 that didn’t finish as expected.

Corey Heim had 11 victories at the start of the Truck Series finale at Phoenix but needed to dip his truck low in an outrageous seven-wide scramble in overtime to secure the title. He did pull out the win and NASCAR dodged the controversy of the most consistent driver being denied a championship because of a gimmicky format.

NASCAR wasn’t so fortunate the next night in the Xfinity Series when 10-race winner Connor Zilisch lost the championship because Jesse Love won the race. Love opened the season with a win at Daytona and closed it with a win at Phoenix – his only two victories of the season but good enough in that format for a championship.

Fan discourse – which had been building for several years and intensified after Joey Logano won two titles in three years including in 2024 when he advanced on another’s driver elimination – exploded after Hamlin.

The changes announced Monday were already in the works and came after an extensive review that included collaboration between owners, drivers, automobile manufacturers, tracks, broadcast partners, and fans.

“Going into Phoenix was a hold your breath moment,” O’Donnell said. “We recognize someone winning the championship, absolutely they won it by the rules. But was it the best format that we could go with? The tide had turned in the garage.”

The new format is designed to bolster the importance of each race and reward consistency while maintaining the importance of winning. It will be known as its original name, ‘The Chase,’ with an also accepted use of ‘postseason,’ NASCAR is eliminating the vernacular ‘playoffs’ and ‘regular-season champion.’

NASCAR’S NEW FORMAT

Moving forward, the driver with the most points after the postseason finale will be champion in all three NASCAR national series. The Chase will comprise of the final 10 races for the Cup Series.

NASCAR has eliminated the automatic berth into the playoff field earned by winning during the regular season, a move designed to increase the importance of every event on the schedule and emphasize consistency throughout the regular season.

A race victory win will now earn the winning driver 55 points, up from 40 points, to reward drivers who battle for wins instead of settling for a solid points days. NASCAR hopes it encourages aggressive racing and strong team performance.

Points for all other positions, including stage points, remain the same.

The points leader after the regular season will receive a 25-point cushion over the second seed as the points will be reset for the 16 Chase drivers. A win in a playoff race no longer earns the automatic advancement into the next round – a move NASCAR says prevents teams from using the remainder of that particular round as preparation time for the finale.