NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr. has indicated that the sport's playoff rules will change across all of its three major series in 2026.
The playoff format uncertainty has been one of the major talking points throughout the year, with an announcement expected soon as to the shape of the competition next season.
A number of fans, drivers, pundits and owners have all criticized the current format which condenses the championship fight down into a single race at the end of the year, a situation which seems almost certain to change in 2026
The two-time Cup Series champion revealed on his podcast this week that NASCAR president Steve O'Donnell hinted to him at the championship weekend in Arizona that all three series will see a shake-up next year.
Dale Jr. reveals playoff format hint
“I’m excited about next year," Dale Jr. said. “We got a lot of things, we’re going to kind of move the furniture around in the room and change some of the pieces on the chessboard, so to speak, to try to be in a better spot and get everybody happy. Through some things that we’re going to do, we’re going to have four drivers, hopefully, driving for a championship next year.”
He continued: “We’ll have to see what the format is. I had an opportunity just by chance to exit the race track Saturday night with [Steve] O’Donnell, walking through the Cup garage as the No. 2 team were celebrating their championship.”
“I said, ‘Hey, Steve, a lot of people talking about the Cup stuff, we know that’s probably coming in terms of a change to the format, but nobody ever says a thing about the Xfinity or Truck, and I guess we’re all just assuming that whatever happens to Cup, something similar will happen.' “
“And he’s like, ‘Yeah, something similar will happen'.”
