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Kyle Larson welcomes NASCAR championship format change, says old system ran its course

Meby: Nick Geddes01/13/26NickGeddesNews

Kyle Larson won a pair of NASCAR Cup Series championships under the win-and-in, elimination style championship format. Of course, he will always fondly remember that time period in his career.

NASCAR on Monday announced the departure of that playoff system used from 2014-2025. As league president Steve O’Donnell said, “the Chase is back.” Larson believes it was time for a change, saying the old format had run its course.

“I kind of heard rumors of it for at least a month and yeah, just happy. I think the old playoff system was exciting, but I think it also ran its course, and I think the style of what we’re at now with the racecar that we got, I think it deserved a format change,” Larson told Matt Weaver of Motorsport. “So yeah, I would assume — I haven’t heard everybody’s comments on it — but I would assume anybody who is a previous contender for a championship with the playoff format is probably more happy that we have this format because I feel like your chances of winning a championship is higher for all of us now.

“It’s really tough to win, to make it to the round of four and then beat three other guys. Now, it comes down to 10 races, you can have a lot of belief in team like I do, be consistent and hopefully win some races as well. It sounds like there’s more points paid for wins, so wins are still really important. And as always, just try to do a good job.”

Larson, with his championship win just over two months ago at Phoenix Raceway, became the last driver to win a title under the elimination style format. Beginning this season, NASCAR will usher in a new era.

Kyle Larson approves of NASCAR championship format

The points-based Chase system will reward consistency from drivers across the entire season. Under the new model, the top 16 drivers in regular season points after 26 races will advance to a 10-race playoff, with the champion determined by total points, a big change from the prior win-and-you’re-in automatic berths and knockout rounds.

Additionally, NASCAR will increase points for race wins from 40 to 55, to ensure victories still carry significant weight, while the regular season points leader will enter the Chase with a 25-point advantage. O’Donnell said the format strikes a balance between season-long importance and a playoff feel, emphasizing that “every single lap matters” under the new system.

There were arguments made for a return to the full-season points format. O’Donnell called this the “best of both worlds.”

“This [format] is the best of both worlds,” O’Donnell told The Athletic. “I think for those who want just full-season points, no playoffs, you have points that matter, every single race matters. And for those who want a playoff, you have a playoff now, but it’s points-based. And winning still really matters; you’ve got to go out and compete.

“One of the things we were missing was, we talked about every race mattering, but in this win-and-you’re-in format, winning eliminated that at times, and that wasn’t a good thing. We want drivers to go compete and run every single lap — every single lap matters — and this is going to deliver that.”