Dale Earnhardt Jr. has expressed his excitement about the 'new' NASCAR championship format for the 2026 season.
The sport will return to the 'Chase' format similar to the 2004-2013 seasons, with a field of 16 drivers in a 10-race showdown at the end of the season to decide the title.
The much-maligned 'win and in' system has also been scrapped from this year and beyond, meaning that the Chase field will be decided on points alone – although points given for a win will increase from 40 to 55, in an attempt to keep winning a key tenant of teams' strategies.
The announcement has been hailed by a number of fans who had been impressing upon NASCAR the need to move away from the playoff system of the last decade plus, regarded as the best that could reasonably be expected outside of a return to a 36-race points format – which would have raised issues around recently-signed TV contracts.
Earnhardt Jr.: Chase an exciting development for NASCAR
Speaking as part of NASCAR's announcement press conference, legendary driver, team owner and broadcaster Earnhardt Jr. said: "I think there’s a lot to say. I was really excited to hear the news that we were getting a little closer to a full 36-race format. This is as close in my opinion that you can get without going all the way.
"What I believe it does is it makes it simpler for our fans to follow. I’m a fan of the sport, and now I’m compelled to plug in every single week because I know there’s a long form objective for my driver to accomplish to be able to give himself the opportunity to win the championship.
"So even though my driver may have success early on in the season, it does not assure him success in the postseason. So with the way that they’re going to stack the bonus points and everything else, it’s critical that these drivers have success every single week.
"Every single race, every single lap will have more importance. I think it’s fun for the drivers to have a more clear objective for how to get to the championship and easier for our fans to follow."
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