NASCAR’s Biggest Rule Change in Years Could Save the Sport

NASCAR is turning the page as “The Chase” roars back into focus — and the first signs suggest that one straightforward but significant offseason adjustment may have injected fresh energy into the series.

Two decades ago, the proudly American racing powerhouse was riding a massive wave of popularity. The 2006 Daytona 500 drew 19.35 million television viewers, while NASCAR’s marquee events could pack grandstands with crowds topping 250,000 fans.

But the momentum did not last. When the financial crisis arrived, sponsorship money dried up, attendance slipped, and NASCAR’s so-called golden era faded almost as quickly as its cars thunder down a straightaway.

Seeking to halt that decline, NASCAR moved away from its original postseason model — The Chase, first launched in 2004 — and introduced a playoff system built around a winner-takes-all championship finale to close each season.

From 2014 through last year, the Cup Series title was effectively decided in a single afternoon, with an entire season’s work coming down to whether everything aligned on one decisive Sunday.

Now, The Chase has returned. The revamped 10-race postseason features the top 16 drivers, beginning with the Southern 500 at Darlington and concluding with the Championship race at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 8.

It marks the start of a new era for NASCAR, and the early signs are encouraging. The sport has reported viewership up 8% among adults aged 18-24, seen 11 races sellout, generated merchandise sales up 26.8% to their highest level in at least a decade and registered 1.94 billion social impressions, up 31% on last year.

‘This isn’t momentum in just one area; we’re seeing it across the entire NASCAR ecosystem,’ said Steve O’Donnell, chief executive officer of NASCAR who took over the role earlier this year. 

While a host of factors are at play, the decision to change the format – and opt for a drastic change, at that – has been a key driving force, helping generate more week-to-week interest and providing a system fans feel will crown a far more deserving champion.

Ryan Blaney won a championship under the old format in 2023, but was a strong voice in favor of the new system. He enters The Chase among the favorites as the No.2 seed, and is excited to see how the intensity of the coming weeks plays out.

‘I love the format,’ Blaney tells Our News Outlet. ‘I was on the side that I was pushing for this format to come back. You know, we’ve won a championship in the old format, but I like this new one. I think it just shows more what teams can tough it out. Who can be the most consistent over 10 weeks.

‘I look at the points more than I ever have, through this year, and just to see who you’re racing around. I think there’s tons of storylines, too.

‘Then through these 10 weeks, it’s gonna be a grind, and there’s gonna be a lot of things going on. I’ve been a big fan of it, and I hope the outside world has really enjoyed it, too. I think they prefer it as well.

‘I think NASCAR’s done a really good job of continuing to do things that they’ve done really well for a long time, but then they also have not been afraid of maybe getting outside the box a little bit.

‘Going to different races. Going to different parts of the country. Racing on Coronado at the Naval Base was really unique. So they’ve done a good job of integrating a lot of these different things, while also keeping the roots that have really made us what we are.

‘It’s always nice for us when we roll into a race weekend and you got thousands of campers that are in the infield, stands are packed, and the fans are excited. The product of racing, I think, has been strong this year as well, so all that culminates, and I think it’s been a positive year.’

 Just two drivers in this year’s Chase field have experience of this sort of format – Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin.

‘They’re gonna have a little bit of a leg up on some of these guys,’ Tyler Reddick suggests to Our News Outlet. But he notes the fact drivers have far more ability to rack up points with a dominant day in the new format as a key factor to consider, pointing to a race at Pocono where he finished runner-up to Denny Hamlin but still lost ground as an example of what could happen.

‘I think it’s gonna make it harder for one guy to just flat-out run away with this thing early,’ Reddick says. ‘Because when you’re on, and you’re having a standout day, you can rack up 70 points in a day.

‘I remember back at Pocono earlier this year. We ran second to Denny, and… I just remember being like, what the heck, man? We ran second on that day, and we lost over 30 points, still, to Denny, who won the race, so…it’ll move around a lot.’

This is uncharted territory, and even those involved don’t quite know what to expect. Initial simulations and projections when decisions were being made over the new format suggested the champion would almost certainly come from the top six drivers entering The Chase.

Some believe the scope for an outside winner is much higher, and rising star Carson Hocevar certainly hopes that will be the case.

The all-action 23-year-old won his first Cup Series race at Talladega earlier this season and has been in the thick of the action throughout thanks to several controversial on-track incidents and entertaining off-track moments.

‘I’m looking forward to 10 races where you’re in the equation, you’re a factor,’ Hocevar tells Our News Outlet. ‘You’re part of the elite, top half of the series, and get to just be a part of that and recognized of that. That’s joyful for our whole team, but myself as well. We just kind of get to play with house money here a little bit. We just get to enjoy it and go race and just enjoy it.’

The majority of drivers in the hunt this year grew up watching The Chase, rather than racing in it. ‘The Chase was the thing for me,’ says Blaney, who has fond memories of having a front-row seat while his dad was racing in the Cup Series.

‘I didn’t have a lot of favorites, because Jimmie Johnson kept winning them all,’ Hocevar jokes, referencing Johnson’s dominance, winning five titles in a row between 2006 and 2010. ‘He was my dad’s favorite, and I wanted (Dale Earnhardt Jr) Junior to somehow win one.’

But one year sticks out to all those who remember that era: the 2011 title showdown between Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards that culminated in a thrilling finale.

‘I mean, the drama, the trash-talking, just everything about that race was just absolutely incredible,’ Reddick says. ‘I think I was watching it at home, sitting in the AC sweating, just watching the race, so I couldn’t imagine the stress levels and what that was like for those teams. That, for me, is the one that really comes to mind. I mean, it came down right to the wire. That was an incredible year.’

Blaney adds: ‘Seeing how those two, they kind of had two different Chases. Like, Carl was really consistent, and was in at Miami. 

‘Tony wasn’t as consistent, but he won more, you know, and that kept him in it. And then that race coming down there, just two guys battling it out, like, that was a really, really cool one.

‘And then they followed it up the next year with Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson going toe-to-toe for those 10 weeks. I loved it. It really made you watch and tune in and be just glued to the TV for those 10 weeks, and as a kid, I was just…jumping for joy, or I was just devastated if my guy didn’t do well, and, you knew where they stood.

‘If they made a mistake, it’s gonna be hard to dig out of that hole, so hopefully we, you know, can have those types of Chases here, and I think we will.’

This year, Denny Hamlin enters the favorite after topping the regular season standings, though Hocevar, a Chevrolet driver, notes: ‘Anyone that drives a Toyota is pretty much the man to beat. They’re pretty fast.’ 

‘I think the battle that was on everyone’s mind much of this season is still there,’ Reddick admits, after Hamlin, co-owner of his 23XI Racing team, chopped down his early season lead. ‘I think the 11 (Hamlin) will be really strong.’

‘Denny’s gonna be tough,’ Blaney admits. ‘You know, that group is really solid. I think he’s at the top of his game right now, so that team’s gonna be hard. You know, you got Tyler Reddick, who’s incredibly good. Christopher Bell is gonna be really tough, the 22 group with Logano, they’re gonna be really good.

‘I mean, you can’t really count out any of the 16 teams that are in it. That’s the beauty of NASCAR, I think, is the parity is so tight, right? You don’t really have these runaways, but those handful of guys, I feel like, have shown this year that they’re really dangerous. But I put us and our group up there with the best of them, so hopefully we can go and contend.’

‘I think in a Chase format, your biggest rival, your biggest challenger will be yourself,’ Reddick adds. ‘It’s gonna be really important to stay in it mentally this whole stretch. Again, there’s gonna be things that happen, things that don’t go according to plan, it’s just gonna be super important to stay in it the whole way, mentally.

‘We can look at other drivers that will have speed, performance, but, I think it’s gonna be important for us to focus on how we maximize each day, and not let the one standout car this week or that week just spin us out with how fast they are. Making the most of each day is gonna be so critical.’