Chase Elliott missed out on stage points at Martinsville Speedway, but it mattered far less than in recent seasons. He had the opportunity to take advantage of an offseason rule change with his win.
Videos by FanBuzz
The move to the Chase put greater emphasis on the "solid points day," but it also further emphasized winning. You see, NASCAR increased the amount of points rewarded to race winners.
Now, the driver with a win locks up 55 points at a minimum, as opposed to 40 in years past. This number can increase with stage points and stage wins.
This change provided an opportunity for drivers to gain an advantage during the regular season, something that Tyler Reddick has done while winning four times.
"82 (points) up on second (place), yeah, I mean, as he should," Elliott said. "Dude's won four out of seven races, whatever it is, at this point. He should have a huge lead.
"Yeah, I think it is a nice balance of rewarding a team for winning, but also if you're off, you have to make the best of your day, you're not totally out to lunch either."
Both @chaseelliott and @dennyhamlin gain a position in the standings thanks to strong performances on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/qyHLilG1kZ
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) March 30, 2026
Elliott experienced this firsthand. The No. 9 team was solid early but not in contention for points. Denny Hamlin, for comparison, had the dominant car. He used this to lead a race-high 292 laps and sweep the stage wins.
Yet look at the points awarded to the two drivers. Hamlin finished second after a dominant performance and locked up 56 points. Elliott had an average day early but scored the win. He left the track with 55 points.
This adjusted Chase format creates further intrigue during the regular season, especially at road courses. Wins no longer count for a spot in the playoffs, but they mean more in terms of points.
Will this make drivers more aggressive with their late-race moves as they fight for those extra wins, or will they just try to salvage what they can?
"I think we're all still learning a little bit of what this is going to look like over the course of a full season," Elliott said. "I remember our first year with — like the first couple years with the stage racing thing, we didn't realize how extremely important the stage points were and the stage wins were.
"If y'all remember, I think (Martin Truex Jr.) won, like, 18 stages that year. Kind of got through that, you look back, you're like, 'Oh, man, some of that was just easy money that we gave up on.' We were so focused on the race, so...
"My point in all that is I think we're still figuring it out. But certainly winning, pretty self-explanatory, when you get that many more points from second, you want to get that done. How the rest of it works out, we'll just have to kind of see as we go."
