Is NASCAR's 'Chase' format working? Denny Hamlin has his say

NASCAR Cup Series star Denny Hamlin has admitted being shocked by the sport's return to The Chase format during the offseason in an early assessment of the new championship format.

Ahead of the 2026 season, NASCAR confirmed that it had scrapped the playoffs after years of criticism from fans and drivers, returning to 'The Chase' format that previously existed within the sport.

The Chase now puts more importance on the regular season and consistency, with win and you're in having been ditched, more points for winning races, and the post-season field set to be determined solely on points.

Hamlin sits second in the points standings following the action at Kansas Speedway last Sunday, but ahead of the race, he issued his thoughts on how the new format was playing out so far.

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Denny Hamlin shocked by NASCAR's return to The Chase

“Nothing has really surprised me," Hamlin told the media in Kansas City when asked about the biggest surprise of racing under the new format.

"I think the format is doing what it was designed to do, which is reward the cars that run up front, finish up front, and win races.

"I thought when we were talking about kind of where the format was going to go and whatnot, I kind of resigned to the fact, well, we're going to break this thing up into three, four races, and still have cutoffs and stuff.

"When they went all the way, it was shocking from my perspective, but it was a wow, I wish this had been around for much longer."

Hamlin: Chase rewards top Cup stars

"I think it's going to reward your top guys, and I think you're going to continue to see them continue to pull away," Hamlin continued.

"Because they're the ones that are winning and getting those 15 extra points in the regular season. They're going to be higher in the regular season points.

"Other than that part, nothing else has changed in the regular season. There's no extra points for anything else other than just winning.

"So, I don't necessarily feel like it's any different than any other year.”