CONCORD, N.C. — NASCAR announced on Monday that The Chase will return in 2026 and beyond with some tweaks. Notably, the playoff field will remain at 16 drivers instead of going to the smaller lineups used in the past.
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NASCAR had many reasons for staying with this size of field, including a desire to avoid disrupting the industry. The list also includes the ability to appeal to new OEM partners.
"I would say it wasn't a tight driving factor, but it was one of those, especially if you looked at our existing format," NASCAR President Steve O'Donnell told FanBuzz at the NASCAR Production Center.
"When we had just four in the finale, and we were looking at, 'Hey, what can we do in the future?' There was a lot of talk internally about, 'Hey, be careful. If you have one or two new OEs, how is that going to work?'"
The current OEM list only includes three brands — Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota. The expectation is that Dodge will try to return to the Cup Series in the coming years, potentially 2027. NASCAR has also mentioned Honda as an interested party.
If one — or both — of these brands join as an OEM partner, it alters the makeup of the field. Up to five partners could make The Chase. If new OEM partners joined under the old elimination format, up to three potentially could miss the Championship 4.
This would not be an ideal scenario for Dodge, Honda, or any other potential new partners wanting to compete for championships.
"I hadn't really thought of that before, but we wanted to keep 16 because it's a good size of different drivers, competitors," Ben Kennedy, NASCAR EVP and Chief Venue & Racing Innovations Officer, told FanBuzz. "And then, to your point, if there are new OEMs that come in the field, they'll also have a greater likelihood of making it to The Chase.
"So we wanted a good amount of competitors to cover all of our different partners, our drivers and OEMs, but we also didn't want too many, because you can only focus on so many once you get to those last 10 races."
Of course, keeping The Chase field at 16 doesn't automatically mean that Dodge, Honda, or another OEM partner will come in and immediately contend for a championship. That would be setting the bar very high.
But it does increase the opportunities for these new OEM partners to continue battling for a championship after a 26-race regular season.
As O'Donnell explains, it also serves as some nice motivation.
"I think it helps us in terms of the ability for someone to get in and also the ability to say, 'Hey, if you're not one of them (in The Chase), you might need to do a little better."
