The reintroduction of the Chase Format has forced crew chiefs to look at races a little differently. The Chase Format kicks in after 26 races, but teams have to display consistency during the regular season to keep themselves in contention. However, a reputed crew chief feels that the regular season racing remains the same in both formats, but it is the Chase Format that will see teams strategise differently.
A quiet radio exchange that may redefine how the field approaches the Chase
Cliff Daniels, who is the crew chief of reigning NASCAR Cup Series winner Kyle Larson, had earlier expressed how his team would benefit in the new format.
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Things have not looked the same for the #5 since as he is yet to win a Cup Series race. However, there are still a lot of races left in the season.
In his recent appearance on Sirius XM Radio, Daniels opened up about when the real shift in strategy is expected to start.
“The way the old points format was, the regular season still really did have a big impact,” Daniels said. “With stages paying playoff points, more than just, you know, regular season points, there was always that carrot to go get with getting a stage win, plus the, you know, the points payout at the end of regular season points that paid playoff points moving ahead, and that was always the big deal to us.”
Even now, he made it clear that the new approach has not yet fully surfaced the sport’s competitive aspect by dropping a warning: “Everyone is still chasing regular season points, really the way that we always have.”
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The Chase Format really starts after 26 races. Following this, the Top 16 will move into the Chase Format and will compete for the title in the next 10 races.
While there will be no difference in racing for the first 26 races, he expects a shift when the Chase Format kicks in.
“I think where we may see some differences start to show up is going to be once we get closer to the chase, and we get into the chase without having the reset, you know, of every three races and win and you’re in and having that guarantee,” Daniels remarked. “I think that’s when some of the strategy may change just a little bit on how people approach, you know, getting through those 10 weeks of the chase.”
Currently, Kyle Larson is placed ninth in the standings, but his experience should enable him to move higher in the standings.
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“We’ve got our eye on it. And right now, you know, our path to going into a good chase is going to be how well we, you know, develop throughout the year as a team, how do we improve on areas that we’re weak, and have a good showing in regular season points and carry that into the chase,” said Daniels.
Larson and Daniels will be hoping their racing success in the previous format translates into the Chase, as that would really prove to be helpful in the driver’s pursuit of repeating as champion.
Larson will have to push harder in the Chase Format
NASCAR’s 2026 Chase format will see a reset after the first 26 races, but wins are still rewarded with 55 points. Even though a single good result cannot move the needle that much, now a single poor result cannot easily be reset.
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Last year, Larson was able to secure the title by beating out Denny Hamlin in the final race of the season. This time around, if Larson has to win, he will have to ideally maintain consistency throughout the proceedings of the Chase Format.
Larson is 147 points behind the leader, Tyler Reddick. It seems like a huge task to catch the 23XI driver, but breaking into the Top 3 is a realistic option.
However, he will have to start winning races for that and avoid slipping below the Top 10 or even Top 6, in order to avoid reducing his chances of further slipping down. Larson is one of the best racers, and while this dip in form is a concern, there is no doubt he will come back strongly.
With NASCAR headed to Bristol, Larson will be hoping the magic of that track and his winning record there helps him secure the win and move up the standings.
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