The 2026 NASCAR season is here, and there have been some pretty big changes off the track over the winter.

Not all of those changes are going to be especially impactful for most fans – are you switching off the TV because Steve Phelps is no longer commissioner? – but some of them very much will.

Of course, it's easy to miss some things if you're not glued to your phone all winter. Maybe for you, NASCAR doesn't start until the NFL stops. That's valid! And that's why we've condensed the major 2026 rule changes for you here.

Let's start with...

Fastest lap points

Points are more of a precious resource in NASCAR than ever this year, and drivers are no longer allowed to steal one for setting the fastest lap of the race after spending half the race in the garage.

The rule is simple: if your car has been taken back to the garage at any point during the race, you can't get a fastest lap point if you come back out and just go for pure one-lap pace.

Last year's champion Kyle Larson may have prompted a rethink about this particular rule when he took the fastest lap point at Mexico City in a race which he finished 42 laps down, before doing it again later (just 15 laps down) at Watkins Glen.

The Chase returns

If you've heard about any NASCAR rule change, it's probably this one. The playoffs are out, and the Chase is back – a ten-race, points-based postseason with no more all-or-nothing championship race.

The move also means the end of the win-and-in format, which had guaranteed a postseason spot to any driver who won a race, regardless of their points standing.

We could talk all day about the various changes to the postseason, so to make it easier we've written a whole piece about what NASCAR gains and loses with the Chase.

Power increases

More power! Well, a little bit. Well, at selected tracks. Yes, while it's not the jump that some fans (and drivers) had hoped for, NASCAR Cup Series cars will jump from 670hp to 750hp at road courses and short tracks in 2026.

The definition of 'short track' has been expanded to include any over under 1.5 miles in this instance, meaning that the following circuits will see the power bump: Circuit of The Americas, Watkins Glen, San Diego, Sonoma, Bowman Gray Stadium, Phoenix, Darlington, Martinsville, Bristol, Dover, Nashville, North Wilkesboro, Iowa, Richmond, New Hampshire, and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

Tighter qualifying regulations

One of the new regulations we've seen in action already, drivers are no longer allowed to use their hands to manipulate airflow while on qualifying runs.

The practice had become increasingly common at superspeedways and, sure enough, the very first meaningful qualifying session of the year at Daytona saw Noah Gragson run afoul of the rule. "I completely forgot about that rule, so that one's on me," he said afterward. "Yeah, I feel like an idiot for that."

Moves to keep cars the right way up

One of the most terrifying sights in NASCAR is a loose car flying into the air, as if being lifted by an invisible piece of string. It's something that the Next Gen car has had persistent problems with – just ask Ryan Preece.

Automatically deployed flaps on cars' A-Posts were introduced at Daytona's summer race last year, another move to keep the cars stuck on the tarmac, and those flaps are now mandated for every single race of the 2026 season.

More points for a win

With win-and-in no longer on the cards, it was felt that NASCAR needed to introduce something to the Chase which rewarded race wins with the appropriate magnitude.

As such, winning a race is now worth 55 points to a driver instead of 40 points previously, a massive leap which should see teams going all out at the end of races instead of settling in for a 'good points day' in the top five.

Permanent charters

This won't be one that fans will notice on the track, but teams have now signed effective permanent charters after the settlement of 23XI and FRM's lawsuit against NASCAR.

In short, charter teams should now be much more secure in their futures, rather than concerned that they could lose their status in just a few short years. A big win for them, and for the sport as a whole.

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