Following the discharge of the 2026 schedule for all three nationwide divisions, NASCAR government vice chairman and chief venue and racing innovation officer, Ben Kennedy, took half in a media availability to debate a number of the adjustments. He was joined by Jusan Hamilton, the managing director, competitors operations.
Together with schedule-specific questions, Kennedy was additionally requested in regards to the playoff format for 2026, which has been a subject of intense debate over the summer season months. NASCAR’s official social media graphic lists the same old elimination-style rounds, however Kennedy revealed that the format just isn’t but set in stone.
“It isn’t but,” stated Kennedy when FOX Sports activities’ Bob Pockrass requested in regards to the format being locked in. “I do know the playoff committee has had quite a few conferences over the previous a number of months on totally different codecs that we might take a look at, and so they’ve run a handful of simulations on simply varied codecs, collected some fan suggestions.
“I do know there are conversations as early as a pair days in the past on what the way forward for the playoff format seems to be like. Nothing to announce at present. What I might say, although, is we wish to ensure that we take the time to do it proper, that we gather as a lot info as we will, and hopefully no matter this new format is, if there’s a new format, it is one thing that can final a very long time.
“We wish to be considerate and diligent about it, be sure that we make the correct selections and strikes and provides each our followers and our rivals one thing that they are often actually happy with going ahead. Transfer to return on that sooner or later.”
What might change?
Whereas no particulars have been revealed by the sanctioning physique, there are a number of options to the present format that constantly come up in public discussions: 1. Maintaining the present format, however take away the one-race finale and increasing it into a number of races just like the earlier rounds; 2. A return to the unique playoff format with the driving force with probably the most factors over the course of the ultimate ten races being topped champion; 3. Going again to a full-season factors championship just like the sequence had from 1949 by 2003.
The principle concern with the present format, which has delivered some unimaginable moments like Ross Chastain’s 2022 wall-ride, is that it usually produces a champion who wasn’t actually probably the greatest drivers from that specific season.
One other level of rivalry has been the ‘win and also you’re in’ facet of the present system. Austin Dillon entered Richmond twenty eighth in factors, however his spectacular victory knocked Chris Buescher (eleventh in factors) off the playoff bubble.
If there’s a new winner from under the cut-line this weekend, it would eradicate both Tyler Reddick or Alex Bowman, who enter Daytona seventh and ninth within the common season standings, respectively. There are 20 drivers with an opportunity to do this, going all the best way again to Cody Ware, who’s thirty sixth within the championship standings.
On this article
Be the primary to know and subscribe for real-time information e-mail updates on these subjects
