Overview
- NASCAR confirmed a 10-race finale for the top 16 in regular-season points, eliminating win-and-in berths and round-by-round cuts, with race wins now worth 55 points and a reseed before the Chase.
- Dale Earnhardt Jr. said the change gives fans a reason to tune in weekly again, while executives framed it as stronger, simpler storytelling that rewards season-long performance.
- Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney predicted fewer “desperate” on-track moves, but Ross Chastain and Kyle Busch argued aggressive habits and the value of winning will keep risk-taking in play.
- Insiders cautioned that specialists and smaller teams could face tougher paths without automatic berths, citing Shane van Gisbergen–type profiles that previously leveraged targeted wins.
- Jimmie Johnson signed a part-time Truck entry with TRICON Garage for the 2026 San Diego street race, and separate analysis modeled that Kyle Larson still would have topped a 2025 Chase under the new scoring.