I post a yearly reminder not to get too bent out of shape by the point standings early in the season. But NASCAR changed the points system for 2026. Now, they remind us, every point counts.
So does that make my long-standing advice incorrect?
It does not. […]
Daytona 500 Qualifying is tonight. Forty-five drivers will compete for 41 spots in this year’s race, but we won’t know who earns those spots, or where all but two cars start today.q […]
While we’re waiting for NASCAR to announce a possibly new format for the 2026 championship, here’s what I would change if I ran NASCAR. […]
This is the second year in a row that the end of the NASCAR season left a sour taste in my mouth. Last year, it was manufacturer manipulation at Martinsville that excluded Christopher Bell from the Championship 4. This year, it was a race in which chance played more role than skill. […]
After 35 races and three knockout rounds, four drivers qualified to race for the championship: Chase Briscoe, William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Larson. The driver who posts the best finish at Phoenix becomes the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Champion. […]
In the closest playoffs since this format started in 2017, even Ross Chastain’s go-for-broke last-lap attempt to advance to the Round of 8 was unsuccessful. […]
Eric Jones and John Hunter Nemechek had really strong runs at the first playoff race — despite neither having made the playoffs. Their performances got me wondering whether the Next Gen car helps non-playoff drivers win in the playoffs. […]
The summer 2025 Daytona race report includes one of the best superspeedway races I’ve seen in a long while with really close racing, lots of lead changes and a winner coming from mid pack in just two laps. […]
Shane van Gisbergen’s odds of advancing deep into the playoffs seem high if you look only at his four wins and 22 playoff points. Going into Richmond, he’s tied with Denny Hamlin for most wins this year. van Gisbergen is third in playoff points, trailing only Hamlin (24) and Kyle Larson (23). But there’s a caveat. (Isn’t there always?) […]
NASCAR elected not to hold practice at superspeedways with the goal of decreasing the number of backup cars and repairs required, thus cutting costs for owners. Now that we’ve had a few years of this format, I wondered how many cars this policy has saved. […]
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