If you are searching “who gets eliminated at Bristol” this weekend, here is the twist that catches almost everyone: for 2026, nobody is. NASCAR brought back the Chase and threw out the elimination bracket entirely. There are no cutoff races, no round-by-round eliminations, and no winner-take-all finale. Here is exactly how the new 2026 NASCAR Cup Series Chase works, and why Bristol is no longer a do-or-die night.
The short answer: no one is eliminated at Bristol in 2026
From 2017 through 2025, the NASCAR playoffs ran on an elimination bracket: 16 drivers, four rounds, and four drivers knocked out at the end of each round, with Bristol as the Round of 16 cutoff. That format is gone. For 2026 NASCAR returned to a Chase decided by points over the final 10 races, with no eliminations along the way. So when the checkered flag drops at Bristol on Saturday night, the field does not get cut. Every Chase driver races on.
How the 2026 NASCAR Chase works
The 2026 Chase keeps the 16-driver field and the 10-race length, but changes almost everything about how the title is decided:
- 16 drivers qualify based on the regular season, as before.
- One points reset at the start of the Chase: each of the 16 is reset to a 2,000-point base, the regular-season champion gets a 100-point bonus, and the rest receive graduated seeding bonuses (roughly 2,075 down to 2,005).
- No eliminations and no cutoffs. The bracket, the round-by-round cuts, playoff points, and the “win and you’re in” advancement are all gone.
- Ten races, most points wins. Drivers accumulate points across all 10 Chase races with no resets between rounds. Whoever has the most points after the final race is the champion.
- A new championship host. Homestead-Miami Speedway hosts the 2026 finale under a new rotating-track system, replacing the fixed Phoenix finale.
Old format vs new format
| Feature | 2017-2025 Playoffs | 2026 Chase |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Elimination bracket, 4 rounds | Single 10-race points battle |
| Eliminations | 4 drivers cut per round | None |
| Cutoff races | Bristol, Charlotte Roval, Martinsville | None |
| Points resets | Reset before each round | One reset to start, then none |
| Champion decided by | Winner-take-all final race (top 4) | Most points over 10 races |
| Finale host | Phoenix (fixed) | Homestead-Miami (rotating) |
Why NASCAR changed it back
The elimination era produced dramatic cutoff nights, but critics argued the winner-take-all finale let a driver win the title on one good afternoon rather than over a full postseason, and that leaders could sometimes coast to lock up a spot. The 2026 Chase answers that: with every race counting equally toward the total and no safety net of a reset, consistency matters again. As one veteran driver put it, it is 10 weeks of pressure instead of just the three old cutoff nights.
What Bristol still means in 2026
Bristol is Chase race three, Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on USA, and it still matters, just not as an elimination race. Every position is worth points, and on a half-mile bullring where trouble finds someone every run, a bad night can quietly cost a driver the championship even without a cut line. The standings can shift, but the field stays whole heading to the next race.
More from Sports Brackets
Track the whole postseason with our free NASCAR schedules, standings, and printables at SportsBrackets.net.
Frequently asked questions
Does anyone get eliminated at Bristol in 2026?
No. The 2026 NASCAR Chase has no elimination rounds or cutoff races, so no drivers are eliminated at Bristol. The title is decided by total points over the final 10 races.
Did NASCAR get rid of the playoff format?
NASCAR replaced the 2017-2025 elimination-bracket playoffs with a returned Chase format for 2026: 16 drivers, 10 races, and the most points wins, with no eliminations and no winner-take-all finale.
How is the 2026 NASCAR champion decided?
The champion is the Chase driver with the most points after the final race of the 10-race Chase, which in 2026 is at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
How many drivers make the 2026 NASCAR Chase?
Sixteen drivers qualify for the Chase based on the regular season, then have their points reset to a 2,000-point base with seeding bonuses before the 10-race run begins.
