If there was ever a time to get into NASCAR, this is the year to do so. History has just been made by Tyler Reddick, changes have been made on how a champion is crowned as well as the point system. New, young drivers are quickly gathering attention on both the track and online, bringing in more fans to the sport.
On Jan. 12, 2026, NASCAR announced the first change to the championship and the points format since 2017 when the “NASCAR Playoffs” were first implemented. The playoff system was extremely unpopular with fans and was one of the many reasons for the drop in viewership.
The new format is actually a return to an older one known as “The Chase.” The Chase, which was originally implemented before the 2004 season, will be a 10-race stretch between the top 16 drivers at the end of the first 26 races.
Those 16 drivers will have their points reset at the beginning of the 10-races, and whichever has the most points by the end of Homestead-Miami will be crowned champion.
One of the reasons that fans are excited for this change is that it rids the playoffs’ old “win-and-in” system that allowed drivers to get into the playoffs at the end of the season with just one win.
There were complaints that it did not promote consistent driving, with one of the more egregious cases being Joey Logano winning the 2024 championship with an average of 17th place in his races, the worst for any NASCAR cup winner.
In order to motivate drivers to go for the win, it was decided that the points gained from a win would be increased from 45 to 55 points.
There was another change made before the season as well, one having to deal with the cars.
Back in Oct. 25, 2025, it was announced that NASCAR would allow an increase in horsepower in the cup series. The car’s horsepower could be increased from 670 to 750 for all tracks under 1.5 miles in length.
While fans wish that this increase was allowed on all tracks, some even wanting more horsepower than 750, this is still a great direction for NASCAR to head in.
All this was leading up to the 68th running of the Daytona 500, often referred to as the Super Bowl of NASCAR. The Daytona 500 is one of the most prestigious races in motorsports, and this year’s running did not disappoint in terms of entertainment. This year’s winner was Tyler Reddick, driving the number 45 for 23XI Racing, a team that is owned by Michael Jordan.
Not only was this Reddick’s first career win at Daytona, it was also his first win since the 2024 season.
He came across the finish line with carnage behind him, as the final lap saw two wrecks occur. The first wreck happened before turn one. Carson Hocevar, driving Spire Motorsports’ 77 Chevy, was put into the wall by Erik Jones in the Legacy Motorsports’ 43 Toyota. Hocevar later admitted that it was a poor blocking attempt by him that took him out of the race.
The race continued as Chase Elliot, driving the Hendrick Motorsport number 9 Chevy, took the lead. The most popular driver in NASCAR had never won the Daytona 500 and he was looking to finally win the big one.
However, Elliot’s win was derailed by Riley Herbset, driving the 23XI number 35, who ended up causing a large wreck heading toward the finish after another bad blocking attempt.
There was even more winning to come for Reddick as he took the win in the second race of the season, winning the Autotrader 400 at Echopark Speedway. Reddick’s win made history as he became only the fourth ever driver to win the opening two races of the season, the first since Matt Kenseth in 2009.
Hocevar was the talk of the NASCAR community as he attempted to drive through a gap between Reddick and Christopher Bell during the first overtime of the race, putting Bell into the wall. During the second overtime restart, Hocevar attempted to take the lead but failed and ended up finishing fourth.
The third race of the season was held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX, a track designed for F1 racing. History was made as Reddick, who started on pole, won his third straight race to start the season. This was the first time that was ever accomplished in the modern NASCAR era.
Reddick dominated the race, especially in the final stages. He competed with Ryan Blaney and Shane Van Gisbergen, but Reddick eventually took the checkered flag.
Reddick now holds a monstrous lead in the points, currently sitting first with a seventy point gap between him and second place Bubba Wallace.
The other 14 drivers currently sitting above the cutoff line are Elliot, Blaney Van Gisbergen, Logano, Daniel Suarez, AJ Allmendinger, Michael McDowell, Hocevar, Chris Buescher, Keselowski, William Byron, Zane Smith, Kyle Larson and Ryan Preece.
The season is still early, and there are another 23 races until the Chase starts. Now is the best time to hop onto NASCAR as they travel to Phoenix for the Straight Talk Wireless 500.