NASCAR is moving toward new playoff format that fans will LOVE says insider

It is the news that will send an army of NASCAR fans wild with delight - a new Cup Series playoff format they would LOVE is getting major traction in the corridors of power.

The current system is one of the hottest topics in the sport, with the majority of fans and analysts hating a format which brings the whole year down to just one championship race.

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The clamor for change is now so strong that we could now see the end of that system as early as 2026, following the latest meeting of NASCAR’s playoff committee.

The committee met last week, ostensibly to discuss a move to a new 3-3-4 format - three stages with a final championship round consisting of four races.

While that remains favorite to get the seal of approval from NASCAR, committee member and The Athletic insider Jeff Gluck says a ‘late stunner’ could now be in play. The return to a full 36-race championship where the overall standings crown the champion at year end. Basically, the death of the playoffs.

Support grows to END playoffs

Gluck provided a fascinating debrief on that latest meeting, revealing: “Wednesday’s meeting was notable for the surprising amount of significant figures within the sport stumping for a return to a full-season, non-playoff format - the traditional way NASCAR decided its champions until 2004.

“In fact, most of the speakers favored going to the 36-race championship and marked a significant change in course from the first meeting in February, when only one person spoke on behalf of the 36-race format.”

While fans would probably be ecstatic at a return to 36 races, Gluck himself believes that the support from the playoff committee will fall on deaf ears for a variety of reasons.

“He said: “It doesn’t feel like the 36-race format is likely to be the chosen option. Perhaps in a vacuum where money doesn’t matter, NASCAR would opt to eliminate playoffs altogether.

Why NASCAR playoffs will likely remain

“But when I asked committee members to list some of the downsides of a 36-race season so I could have a fuller understanding, points were made about how tracks have more fan energy around hosting playoff events and teams see at least some degree of benefit from sponsors when their cars make the playoffs (and thus get shown on television more often).

“Then there’s TV’s interest, which was previously centered around eliminations and playoffs being good for attracting viewers on NFL Sundays in the fall. NASCAR, though, told the committee it was pleased when NBC conveyed during a separate private meeting recently that it wanted to take a hands-off approach and trusted NASCAR officials to make the best choice for stock car racing."

Now it will be down to NASCAR to make the final decision on the Cup Series playoff format which will be in play for 2026.

That decision is not expected to come before this year’s championship race, which takes place at Phoenix on Sunday November 2.

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