Chase Elliott backs NASCAR’s decision to return to the traditional Chase points format for the 2026 Cup Series champion. After years of criticism for the win-and-you’re-in, elimination-style playoffs, NASCAR returned to The Chase format to determine a champion.
Sixteen drivers made the cut for this year’s Chase and points were reset based on finishing position in the standings at the end of the regular season. The driver who scores the most points in the 10-race Chase will be crowned the champion.
While many within the NASCAR community have already praised the sport for the decision, Elliott gave his stamp of approval prior to Sunday’s Chase opener at Darlington Raceway.
Elliott on points format change: ‘Feels more like us’
In a sit-down interview with FOX NASCAR reporter Bob Pockrass, Elliott spoke highly of NASCAR’s points system overall. The driver of the No. 9 believes NASCAR is getting back to its true identity with the return of the Chase.
Based on how the 2026 season has unfolded, the 23-time Cup Series winner believes the NASCAR community realizes that entertainment does not need to be forced, as it was in the past.
“It feels better. It feels more like us. I think it represents our sport in a more real and raw manner that I think will just reaffirm that we never needed the gimmicks and we never needed the fabricated drama to create a really compelling story,” Elliott said.
Upon reflection, NASCAR’s most popular driver believes the sport will be glad the change was made.
“I think when we look back, we’re going to be really happy that this is how we’re ultimately crowning a champion,” Elliott said.
While the Hendrick Motorsports star is pleased by NASCAR’s decision, he is one who benefited from the previous playoff format. In 2020, Elliott made it to the Round of 8 and won the final two races of the season to earn his first Cup Series championship.
Elliott, however, has been on the wrong end of the format. In 2022, the Dawsonville, Georgia native won the regular season championship and made it to the Championship 4 race, but was unable to come away with the title.
Chase Elliott enters the NASCAR Chase in a slump
As the NASCAR Cup Series Chase begins today (Sunday, September 6) at Darlington Raceway, there is one Chase in the field who hopes to turn things around.
Chase Elliott enters the Chase as the eighth seed, 60 points behind leader Denny Hamlin. Although the 30-year-old has two victories in 2026 at Martinsville and Texas, it has been a rough few weeks for the 2020 champion.
Elliott has one top-10 finish in the last 12 races, which was a fifth-place effort at Richmond. In the last two Cup races, Elliott has failed to finish higher than 23rd.
Elliott rolls off 18th in Sunday night’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. He has only one top-10 finish in the last five Darlington races, which was an eighth-place effort in April 2025.
Elliott is seeking his second Cup championship, which would make him the third full-time active driver to have multiple championships, alongside three-time champion Joey Logano and two-time champion Kyle Larson, his HMS teammate.
Chase Elliott Praises NASCAR For Points System Overhaul