NASCAR revamps playoff format
— -- CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- NASCAR will make the most extensive changes to its split-season playoff format since the Chase for the Sprint Cup was introduced in 2004, expanding the Chase field from 12 to 16 drivers and emphasizing winning races.
As part of NASCAR's announcement Thursday, a driver who wins a race during the course of the 26-event regular season will be granted entry to the Chase no matter where he or she ranks in the points standings.
Changes include:
• A victory in the first 26 races all but guarantees a berth in the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup -- a change that will put unprecedented importance on winning a Cup race during the season;
• Expanding the Chase field from 12 to 16 drivers, with those drivers advancing to what now will be known as the NASCAR Chase Grid;
• The number of drivers in contention for the championship will decrease after every three Chase races, from 16 to start in the Chase Grid to 12 after Chase race No. 3 to eight after Chase race No. 6 and to four after Chase race No. 9;
• The first three races of the Chase (Nos. 27-29 overall) will be known as the Challenger Round; races 30-32 will be known as the Contender Round; races 33-35 will be the Eliminator Round and race No. 36 will be the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship;
• A win by a championship-eligible driver in any Chase race clinches the winning driver a spot in the next round;
• Four drivers will enter the championship with a chance at the title, and the Cup will go to the highest finisher among those four in that final race.
• Overall points will reset to 2,000 for the Chase, with drivers getting three bonus points for each win during the regular season (but not Chase wins). Also, bonus points for leading a lap and for the driver who leads the most laps in a race will still be given in all but the final race of the season.
NASCAR believes that the changes will emphasize winning and make identifying a season champion easier to understand.
"NASCAR's core responsibility is to look down the road and provide fans with the highest level of competition in the world," Brian France, the sport's CEO, said. "We now have a system that makes every race matter more, it will promote compelling competition for wins all season long, and ultimately it will reward a very worthy champion at the end of each season with a best-of-the-best, winner-take-all showdown.
"The final race of the season will settle the NASCAR championship. No math, no bonus points for leading laps or previous wins. It's going to be the first of four drivers across the finish line. And you know what? That's as simple as it gets."
Over the past three years, France said, NASCAR consulted with the majority of its drivers, teams, sponsors and television partners before proceeding with the revised Chase format.
"We have millions of fans, some very loud and passionate fans, especially when we change anything," he said. "The vast majority of the fans we communicated with loved this because they really don't like points racing. It remains important, but it is a lot less important."
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