When NASCAR released the three national series schedules on Wednesday, it listed the standard playoff rounds in September, October, and November. However, don't take that as a confirmation that the playoff format will remain the same in 2026.
As NASCAR EVP and Chief Venue and Racing Innovation Officer Ben Kennedy explained on Wednesday, NASCAR continues to have conversations about the format. They just aren't ready to unveil any big changes.
"I know the playoff committee has had a number of meetings over the past several months on different formats that we could look at, and they've run a handful of simulations on just various formats, collected some fan feedback," Kennedy said during a media session.
"I know there are conversations as early as a couple days ago on what the future of the playoff format looks like. Nothing to announce today."
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The playoff format discussion has lingered for several years, but it increased in intensity last November when Joey Logano won his third title since 2018 despite having one of the worst seasons among the playoff drivers.
NASCAR executives said before and after the championship race that the playoffs would not go away, but they indicated that changes could take place. These changes just would not happen for 2025.
NASCAR established a committee after the 2024 season to create a format that would crown the most deserving champion while still delivering entertainment and ratings for the all-powerful TV partners. This committee included select media members, team owners, active drivers, former drivers, track officials, manufacturer representatives, and NASCAR representatives.
The makeup of this committee mostly remains unknown. Jeff Gluck from The Athletic, Kelly Crandall from Racer, Mark Martin, and Denny Hamlin have all revealed that they are involved in these ongoing discussions.
Martin has advocated for a return to the season-long points system. Others have reportedly supported a format similar to the original 10-race Chase.
Logano, the most recent champion, has publicly voiced his support for the current elimination format during various media sessions. He specifically said last November that the current format creates interesting storylines.
Other drivers have also weighed in while listing a variety of tweaks. This includes Michael McDowell, who suggested tweaking the points for the playoff drivers last season.
"I don't feel like it's a disaster," McDowell said ahead of last season's championship race. "I feel like it's produced really good racing, but there's so much on the line. And when every point matters like that, I think maybe those guys should just be racing each other and not racing all of us for points.
"So what I mean by that is like, if you're running 10th, and (Christopher) Bell's running 20th, but he's the next playoff car, that's only one point instead of the nine points being in between there."
The 2025 playoffs are about to begin, so time continues to run out for NASCAR and its committee to come up with a new format for 2026. It's possible that a new format debuts next season, but it is not a guarantee.
"What I would say, though, is we want to make sure that we take the time to do it right, that we collect as much information as we can, and hopefully whatever this new format is, if there is a new format, it's something that will last a long time," Kennedy added.
"We want to be thoughtful and diligent about it, make sure we make the right decisions and moves and give both our fans and our competitors something that they can be really proud of going forward. More to come on that in the future."