On Wednesday, the 2026 NASCAR National Series schedules were officially released, and with the release, NASCAR seemingly confirmed that the Playoffs in the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will remain the same total of races in 2026 as they have been since the current format was installed (10 races for Cup, 7 races for O’Reilly, and the Truck Series).
While it looks like the Playoffs will be back in some form in 2026, there is still a chance that the Playoff format for the NASCAR National Series sees a tweak of some kind in 2026. In a media Zoom availability following the announcement of the 2026 schedules, Ben Kennedy, executive vice president and chief venue and racing innovation officer for NASCAR, confirmed that the Playoff format is still being evaluated for next season.
“It’s not yet,” Kennedy responded when asked if the Playoffs will remain the same format as what we’ve seen since the 2014 season in 2026. “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 continued, “I know there [were] conversations as early as a couple of days ago on what the future of the playoff format looks like. Nothing to announce today. 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.”
Rather than rushing into a new format, Kennedy says the sanctioning body is giving deep thought as to how a champion will potentially be decided in the near future, as there is hope that once that decision is made, it’s one that doesn’t have to be made again for a very long time.
“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. Move to come on that in the future,” Kennedy explained.
In recent months, the energy surrounding a shakeup to the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Format has increased. Last season, Joey Logano had arguably the worst season in NASCAR history for a NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Following the increased conversation about the Playoff Format, which Denny Hamlin and Mark Martin have been among those most vocal about changing to a format where the championship is not decided in a winner-take-all final race, NASCAR instituted a Playoff Committee, which has been conversing about a variety of potential Playoff and Championship formats throughout the year.
Will we see a change in 2026? That remains to be seen, but those details are expected sooner rather than later.
