NASCAR announces new championship format for 2026 - watch the big reveal LIVE

The wait is very nearly over - today (Monday January 12) NASCAR is announcing its new championship format.

There will be no further talk about whether we get a new version of the playoffs or a full-season, 36-race championship. Today the decision is being officially revealed to the fanbase.

That fanbase, of course, almost universally hates that the Cup Series championship right now comes down to the result of just one final race each year.

While support for ending the playoffs entirely gathered a ton of momentum on the NASCAR Playoff Committee in recent months, a tweak to the playoff system is currently the favorite to get the nod of approval from the brass in Charlotte.

We will find out later today what is for real.

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When will NASCAR announce the new format?

The new championship format will be announced by NASCAR at 3.30pm Eastern Time today (Monday, January 12).

How to watch the announcement live

NASCAR will announce the decision on all of its major social channels - including YouTube.

We have embedded the stream right here so you can watch the big reveal live without leaving the comfy confines of Oval Insider.

Why do fans hate the current playoff format?

Quite simply it devalues the impact of those 36 races. Joey Logano for example has become the poster boy for why fans hate the system - he almost always comes good at just the right time. That perfect sense of timing has netted him three championships in recent years.

There is a flip side of course, and it could come with a big blocker to a return to a 36-race championship. What happens if the title is decided with several races left?

The new TV rights deal worth $7.7bn to NASCAR over seven years could also come into play here. Example, you are NBC and you have paid up on the understanding that the final race of the year is a championship race which is guaranteed to decide the title.

What happens if a year into that seven-year deal, the goalposts move and there is no longer a guarantee that the race will mean anything in terms of the championship. What would you do?

Yep, while that move to 36 races would see most of the fanbase rejoicing, it would surely come with added complications to navigate for the folks down in Charlotte.