TC Daily Pit Stop: NASCAR Reveals Return to 'The Chase' Championship Format; Bell, Larson Secure Monday Wins in Chili Bowl Nationals
TC Daily Pit Stop: Tuesday, January 13, 2026
NASCAR Reveals Highly-Anticipated 2026 Championship Format
It’s official. After months of speculation, NASCAR formally announced the latest format that the sanctioning body will utilize to award champions in the NASCAR National Series ranks for the foreseeable future in a press conference at the NASCAR Production Facility in Concord, NC, on Monday afternoon. Essentially, we’re going back in time to 2013 with a format that will evoke memories of the classic “Chase for the Cup” format.
To open the press conference, which also included NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, and current NASCAR drivers Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Briscoe, NASCAR President Steve O’Donnell explained the return to the format to open the event.
In the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series, there will be one points reset, which will be done to initially set the field of 16 drivers, who will compete for the Bill France Cup over a 10-race cumulative points battle for the championship. The previous Playoff format, used from 2014 through the 2025 season, featured three elimination rounds that consisted of three races, and one final race for the final four drivers to battle for the championship in a winner-take-all event.
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Bell Wins Race of Champions; Larson Wins Monday Night Prelim at 40th Chili Bowl Nationals
It was a stellar night for NASCAR drivers at the Tulsa Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as festivities for the 40th Annual Chili Bowl Nationals got underway on Monday, first with the annual Race of Champions, and then with the typical Monday Night Prelims.
As they’ve been doing for much of their racing careers, both on the dirt and the asphalt and especially within the walls of the SageNet Center, Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell went shot-for-shot again on Monday, both pulling off spectacular victories.
First, it was Oklahoma-native Christopher Bell, who really didn’t even give the field a chance when it came to the Race of Champions, which included defending NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson, defending NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series champion Jesse Love, and ARCA Menards Series driver Kaylee Bryson, among others.
Kyle Larson was quiet in the Race of Champions, finishing seventh.
Of course, in true Kyle Larson fashion, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion wasn’t quiet for very long. After a decent recovery from an incident early in his Heat Race on Monday, the Elk Grove, California-native found himself with the fourth starting spot for the 30-lap A-Main.
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Other NASCAR Headlines:
Chef Boyardee Joins HYAK Motorsports for Three-Race Sponsorship
Cleetus McFarland Continuing Daytona 500 Quest Despite Loss of Mentor Greg Biffle
DUDE Wipes, FUNKAWAY to Support Viking Motorsports Drivers Alfredo, Retzlaff in 2026
Tibbetts Lumber Backing Spire, McDowell for Truck Race at Daytona
Ross Chastain Running Eight Truck Races for Niece Motorsports
Front Row Motorsports Announces Competition Changes for 2026