NASCAR scrapped its traditional points system in 2004 after Matt Kenseth won the 2003 championship with just one race victory. The sanctioning body introduced the Chase for the Cup that year, kicking off two decades of constant format changes that transformed how champions get crowned. Here’s how NASCAR’s race formats have changed over the years:
Read More: NASCAR’s Golden Era in the 1990s: When Backyard Parties and Tailgating Were a Way of Life
From Full Season to Playoff Chaos
Before 2004, NASCAR simply tallied points across all races to determine the champion. The driver with the most points at season’s end won the title, period. This straightforward approach worked for decades until Kenseth dominated consistency over winning and claimed his championship despite Ryan Newman winning eight races that year.
The original Chase format took the top 10 drivers in points after 26 races and reset them to 5,050 points for the leader, then dropped by five points per position. Those 10 drivers battled over the final 10 races with whoever had the most points winning. NASCAR expanded to 12 drivers in 2007 and added wild card spots in 2011 for the two highest points earners between 11th and 20th with the most wins.
Read More: Kyle Larson Honors Denny Hamlin in Championship Speech
Elimination Rounds and Stage Racing
Brian France blew everything up in 2014 by introducing elimination rounds and expanding the playoff field to 16 drivers. Win a race during the regular season and you’re automatically locked into the playoffs, assuming you attempt every race and finish in the top 30 in points. The 10 race playoff got broken into four rounds with drivers getting eliminated after every three races until only four remained for the championship finale.
Stage racing arrived in 2017, splitting most races into three segments with bonus points awarded to the top 10 finishers of the first two stages. The Coca-Cola 600 runs four stages instead of three because of its length. Stage winners collect one playoff point while race winners earn five playoff points that carry through the playoff rounds.
Winner Takes All Championship
The most controversial change came with the Championship 4 format at Phoenix Raceway. All four remaining drivers start the finale with equal 5,000 points and no stage points or playoff points matter anymore. Whoever finishes highest among those four wins the championship regardless of their performance over the previous 35 races. Ryan Blaney finished fifth in 2023 but beat Kyle Larson to the title because he ran ahead of the other three championship contenders that day.
Read More: Best Sim Rig to Buy for NASCAR 25: Complete Buyer’s Guide for 2025