{"id":147966,"date":"2025-08-15T14:00:19","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T14:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/147966\/"},"modified":"2025-08-15T14:00:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T14:00:19","slug":"8-big-changes-nascar-should-make-for-the-2026-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/147966\/","title":{"rendered":"8 Big Changes NASCAR Should Make for the 2026 Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

NASCAR has shown some willingness to make changes and experiment in recent years, demonstrated by the In-Season Challenge in 2025 and a potential willingness to increase horsepower next season. As we enter the final weeks of the 2025 season, some other changes could make the Cup Series even better next year.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s dive into our list of the changes NASCAR should make ahead of the 2026 season.<\/p>\n

Get Rid of the One-Race Championship Format<\/p>\n

\"NASCARCredit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Joey Logano is a legitimate NASCAR Cup Series champion. After all, he\u2019s just taking advantage of the system that was put in place. However, NASCAR has put an absurd championship format in place. A winner-takes-all race between the Championship 4 doesn\u2019t work when a wreck caused in that race by someone who spent the entire season at the bottom of the NASCAR standings<\/a> can determine the champion. It\u2019s an absurd concept. The temporary solution, until NASCAR fan figure out a new playoff format, is to have a three-race Championship 4. Give all four drivers a legitimate chance on multiple tracks to determine who is the best.<\/p>\n

Related:\u00a0Why the NASCAR Playoff Format is Unlikely to Change in 2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Take Out the Rearview Cameras<\/p>\n

\"NASCAR\"Credit: David Yeazell-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Aero blocking by the leader has become one of the biggest issues with the Next Gen car. It\u2019s quite evident that NASCAR won\u2019t make any changes, especially given that the process could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. So, at the very least, they can get rid of one small tool the leaders use. Kyle Busch\u00a0proposed<\/a>\u00a0giving drivers the choice between keeping the rearview camera or ditching their spotter. Just make it simple and ditch the camera. Take away the thing that makes aero blocking so much easier; they don\u2019t need that added tool. The advantages the car gives to the leader are more than enough already.<\/p>\n

Related: Denny Hamlin Weighs in On Potentially Removing Rearview Cameras<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Put 10 Races on Amazon Prime Video<\/p>\n

\"NASCAR\"Credit: Clayton Park\/News-Journal \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

With all\u00a0due respect to\u00a0NASCAR\u2019s other\u00a0broadcasting\u00a0partners, they\u00a0aren\u2019t even on\u00a0the same content\u00a0as Amazon Prime\u00a0Video in terms\u00a0of the quality\u00a0of coverage. Prime\u00a0Video\u2019s \u2018Burn Bar<\/a>\u2018 showed fans\u00a0unprecedented\u00a0insight into\u00a0how effectively\u00a0drivers were\u00a0using their fuel\u00a0in mileage races. That\u2019s something\u00a0no other network\u00a0has. Amazon also\u00a0went all out\u00a0with its pre- and post-race coverage\u00a0and provided\u00a0more thorough\u00a0coverage of what\u2019s\u00a0going on across\u00a0the field, rather\u00a0than just at\u00a0the front. Amazon\u2019s coverage was\u00a0so good that\u00a0it positively\u00a0shaped the perception\u00a0of how much fans\u00a0liked races. From\u00a0both an entertainment\u00a0perspective and\u00a0just helping\u00a0make viewers\u00a0more informed, NASCAR should\u00a0give Amazon at\u00a0least 10 races\u00a0in 2026.<\/p>\n

Related: Why Amazon Prime Could Have More NASCAR Races in the Future<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Stop Counting Stage Cautions as Laps<\/p>\n

\"NASCAR:Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

While some NASCAR fans might like to get rid of stages entirely, that\u2019s simply not going to happen. What should be done, though, is to no longer count stage caution laps toward the race total. There can still be caution laps after the stages, giving broadcast partners time for commercials, and it still allows for the excitement of a restart when the next stage begins. Just don\u2019t count those laps toward the official race distance, and have the count start when the green flag is waved. Teams might take issue with it because it burns fuel for laps that do not count, but it could also create new strategies and force an extra pit stop, rather than letting the leader block everyone while running out of fuel because of the massive advantage that the Next Gen car gives the driver out front.<\/p>\n

Increase Horsepower<\/p>\n

\"NASCAR:Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

NASCAR officials have expressed a willingness this year to increase horsepower, finally listening to what teams have been begging for years. So, at the very least, it seems like a slight increase is coming. It won\u2019t fix everything; the design of the car is making sure of that, but 670 horsepower isn\u2019t remotely enough horsepower. Really, 750 horsepower isn\u2019t enough, but it\u2019s at least an improvement. Having all the cars close together and unable to pass doesn\u2019t make for an entertaining product and the teams that are investing millions of dollars more than others into racing should get more bang for their buck. Until major modifications can be made to the car, a horsepower increase could at least lead to slightly more passing through the field.<\/p>\n

Related: NASCAR Exec Shares When Horsepower Increase May Happen<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Cut Down the Number of Road Course Races to Four<\/p>\n

\"NASCAR\"Credit: Matthew O\u2019Haren-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Shane van\u00a0Gisbergen might\u00a0be the best road\u00a0course racer\u00a0in NASCAR history, and the Next\u00a0Gen car likely\u00a0plays a part\u00a0in his historic\u00a0dominance. Having\u00a0a dominant driver\u00a0isn\u2019t necessarily\u00a0a bad thing, but\u00a0it hurts the\u00a0on-track product\u00a0when fans and\u00a0even drivers\u00a0go into a road\u00a0course race knowing\u00a0SVG will win, and he does\u00a0it while toying with\u00a0other drivers\u00a0and then winning\u00a0by 10-plus seconds. NASCAR knows\u00a0having someone\u00a0so dominant isn\u2019t\u00a0good from an\u00a0entertainment\u00a0perspective. After\u00a0all, the sharing\u00a0of SMT data and\u00a0how the Next\u00a0Gen car is designed\u00a0help keep the\u00a0field closer\u00a0together than\u00a0ever before because\u00a0NASCAR wants\u00a0the appearance\u00a0of close racing\u00a0where the cars\u00a0are only separated\u00a0by fractions\u00a0of a second.<\/p>\n

Related: Why Trackhouse Racing has a Bright Future<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

So, there needs to be fewer road courses on the schedule in future seasons. Having three to four per year, including a street race, is fine. Anything more than that, and you\u2019ve given one driver a massive advantage while creating a worse product for the fans.<\/p>\n

Release \u201cNASCAR: Full Speed\u2019 on Netflix in February or March<\/p>\n

\"NASCAR:Credit: Matthew O\u2019Haren-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

On Netflix,\u00a0Formula 1\u2019s Drive to Survive\u00a0is typically released in the last week of February or the first week of March, right before a new season begins. It\u2019s the perfect way to get returning fans excited for the new season with a refresher on what happened last year, and it allows newcomers to dive into the sport right from the start. The second season of NASCAR\u2019s\u00a0Full Speed\u00a0launched on May 7, 11 races after the new Cup Series season started. There\u2019s no world in which that makes sense. NASCAR\u2019s 2025 Cup Series Championship is on Sunday, Nov. 5, and the Daytona 500 next year is on Feb. 15. At a minimum, season 3 should be out in March.<\/p>\n

Better Planning, Bigger Prize for \u2018Run What You Brung\u2019 All-Star Race<\/p>\n

\"NASCAR:Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

NASCAR was\u00a0happy to let\u00a0everyone know\u00a0that it proposed\u00a0a \u201cRun what you\u00a0brung\u201d All-Star Race\u00a0this year, but\u00a0the teams declined. Why did teams\u00a0decline it after\u00a0complaining so\u00a0much about the\u00a0current car? For\u00a0a few reasons, as Jordan Bianchi of The\u00a0Athletic\u00a0explained thoroughly<\/a>. Among\u00a0them, only certain\u00a0modifications\u00a0could be made\u00a0(engine and tire\u00a0tweaks weren\u2019t\u00a0permitted), there\u00a0was limited notice, the modifications\u00a0couldn\u2019t be carried\u00a0over into points\u00a0races, and the\u00a0cost of experimenting\u00a0with the car\u00a0would be more\u00a0than the $1 million\u00a0prize for winning\u00a0the All-Star Race.<\/p>\n

Related: North Wilkesboro Speedway May Get a Points Race in 2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0solution seems\u00a0pretty simple. First, increase\u00a0the prize for\u00a0the first time\u00a0since it was\u00a0$1 million in\u00a02003. Set it\u00a0at $2.5 million, an increase\u00a0that seems fairly\u00a0reasonable considering\u00a0NASCAR\u2019s TV rights\u00a0deal that started\u00a0this year is\u00a0worth $7.7 billion. In the offseason, work with teams\u00a0ahead of time\u00a0on what modifications\u00a0can be made to\u00a0the car, with\u00a0the understanding\u00a0that the All-Star Race is\u00a0a test run to\u00a0experiment with\u00a0modifications\u00a0for the future. With that in\u00a0place, promote\u00a0next season\u2019s All-Star Race as\u00a0more of a true\u00a0\u201cRun what you\u00a0brung\u201d event\u00a0with a new prize\u00a0that will motivate\u00a0drivers and a\u00a0car that will\u00a0offer more intrigue\u00a0to fans<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\tNFL, MLB & college football writer for Sportsnaut. Graduated from San Diego State University with BA in Journalism, 2019. … More about Matt Johnson<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NASCAR has shown some willingness to make changes and experiment in recent years, demonstrated by the In-Season Challenge…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":147967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[1406,62,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-147966","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-nascar","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115033147156104126","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}