DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — NASCAR is going back to the future in 2026.
In a series of what’s-old-is-new-again moves, NASCAR’s list of changes for this season includes a retro “Chase” championship format, the revitalization of left-for-dead racetracks, and an engine boost that gets cars a step closer to their power from a decade ago.
It’s all part of NASCAR’s back-to-basics campaign. Officials hope fans will see it as a signal of a return to the roots, now that a contentious antitrust lawsuit and an unpopular playoff system have been left behind in 2025.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do from our standpoint with the relationships in the garage (and) getting back to who we are,” NASCAR president Steve O’Donnell said last month. “That’s hardcore racing and the Chase and people having fun. We work in a pretty damn good industry, and we need to have some fun, celebrate the wins.”
Let’s take a closer look at what NASCAR hopes four of those “wins” will be in 2026.
The Chase
From 2004-2013, NASCAR’s champion was decided by a relatively simple playoff-type system: After the first 26 “regular-season” races, the top drivers in the standings advanced to a 10-race championship known as the “Chase for the Cup.”
Whoever had the most points among those drivers after 10 weeks became the season champion. Simple.
However, after Jimmie Johnson won the title in six of those 10 seasons, including five in a row, NASCAR scrapped the system in favor of a convoluted, entertainment-focused playoff that consisted of elimination rounds and a one-race championship among four remaining drivers once the field was whittled down.
By the end of that format’s 12-year run, including several instances in which the best overall driver of the year was shut out from the title or even competing in the championship race, a majority of fans and drivers were more than ready for something else.
NASCAR convened a playoff committee for feedback in 2025. The result after nearly a year of deliberations was announced in early January: the Chase is back.
This fall, after the 26-race regular season concludes, the top 16 drivers in the points will qualify for the Chase and be seeded according to their regular-season finish, followed by 10 races to determine the best driver.
Another wrinkle: NASCAR’s “win-and-in” rule is also scrapped. In the elimination playoffs, any one victory in the first 26 races — no matter how random or fluky — was enough to qualify for the championship field. Now, drivers must show consistency over those 26 races and be among the top drivers in the standings if they want to have a chance at the title.
Beloved tracks return
NASCAR’s Next Gen car, which debuted in 2022, created a sea change in terms of what types of racetracks fans find interesting.
Fans used to complain about too many “cookie-cutter” 1.5-mile racetracks (often called “intermediate” tracks) because the field would frequently stretch out, and there wasn’t enough passing to keep the race interesting for three hours. Back then, short tracks and road courses were considered the most entertaining types of circuits.
That’s flipped now, as intermediate tracks have consistently put on more exciting races while the Next Gen has struggled on short tracks and road courses.
As part of that, two familiar intermediates have returned to the schedule: Chicagoland Speedway, which closed after the 2019 season and seemed to have its racing days in the past; and Charlotte Motor Speedway’s oval for its fall race, which had run on the infield road course (or “Roval”) since 2018.
Additionally, North Wilkesboro Speedway — once literally in ruins — was revived in 2023 for NASCAR’s All-Star Race, and this summer will host its first official Cup Series points race since 1996. North Wilkesboro was on NASCAR’s inaugural Cup Series schedule in 1949.
Horsepower increase
The Next Gen car has run with 670-horsepower engines since its debut (except at superspeedways, where the engines have only 510 hp).
That’s a far cry from the engines of NASCAR’s past, which produced more than 900 hp and made the Cup Series’ screaming cars stand out as unique. But these days, anyone with extra dollars to spend can walk into a car dealership and buy a street-legal car with 700 hp, which made it seem odd that NASCAR’s premier series vehicles had less than that under the hood.
So while NASCAR isn’t returning to the 850-900 hp days of old, officials opted to increase the engine power to 750 hp for 20 of the 38 races this season. That includes short tracks and road courses, as well as places like Darlington Raceway, which is more of an intermediate-style track.
Off to San Diego
The next evolution of NASCAR street racing will take place in June — on a Navy base in San Diego.
In a first-of-its-kind event for NASCAR, all three national series will travel to Southern California and race on the streets of Naval Base Coronado, the island facility across the bay from downtown San Diego.
The 16-turn, 3.4-mile course will wind its way between two aircraft carrier docking stations and even pass by the tarmac where fighter jets are positioned. And it will all take place against a patriotic backdrop as part of the America 250 celebration, making it the most anticipated race of the upcoming season.
Will this race and the other changes create an opportunity for NASCAR to turn the page on its difficult 2025? We’re about to find out.
About the Author
