NASCAR Chase championship format expands to Xfinity, Camping World Truck series

NASCAR will have the same elimination championship format across all three national divisions in 2016. The Xfinity and the Camping World Truck series will each move to the same playoff the Sprint Cup Series has used the past two years.

Mirroring the Cup Series setup, the lower division Chase constitutes eliminations every three races, ensuring the championship is decided at the final race of the season. The Cup uses a 10-race playoff spread across four rounds, while Xfinity and Trucks will be contested over seven races and three rounds.

The field size also will differentiate from Cup’s 16 eligible drivers. Xfinity’s Chase will be made up of 12 drivers and Trucks will include eight. A driver earns eligibility in all divisions by winning a regular season race, attempting to qualify for all events and finishing ranked 30th or better in points. Drivers still must declare which series they will earn points in before the start of the season.

A victory during the Chase automatically advances a driver to the subsequent round, or in the case of the season finale, secures the championship. The remaining transfer spots then are filled out by points accumulation in that given round.

NASCAR CEO and chairman Brian France unveiled the changes during the first day of this year’s annual preseason media tour held in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Winning never has been this important, and the excitement generated the past two seasons in the Sprint Cup Series has led to this implementation of the Chase format in all three national series,” France said. “Competition in both the Xfinity Camping World Truck Series will undoubtedly elevate to new heights and shine a spotlight on the rising stars of our sport.”