Ahead of the 2026 Cup Series season, NASCAR Cup Series driver Kyle Busch appeared in a press conference. During the interaction, Busch claimed that he believes bringing back ‘The Chase’ format will not change the racing scenario a whole lot.
The governing body announced the new playoff format for the 2026 Cup Series season on Monday, January 12, 2026. The new format brought back the most anticipated Chase format to NASCAR.
The new format is the resurrection of the format used in the series from 2004 to 2013. The new format will crown the champion based on the most points scored in the final ten races.
However, Kyle Busch claimed that changing the format won’t affect the young drivers’ behavior on track. He explained that young drivers are being taught to race aggressively in the series, like Harpers and Late Models. Busch further supported his statement:
“No, when you watch all the children that race all year long, in the Harpers and the Late models and other things, and you see that stuff already, they’re taught from a very, very young age to dive bomb and run into them. I adore that guy being a dad. I’ve heard those words, and maybe I’ve said those words once or twice, but it’s, yeah, I don’t think a whole lot.”
Kyle Busch has been competing in the Cup Series since 2004. He debuted with Hendrick Motorsports and then moved to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008. Busch then clinched two Cup Series titles before moving to Richard Childress Racing in 2023.
“Exploit It the Way You Need”: When Kyle Busch Shared His Take on the Rumored 3/3/4 Playoff Format
In September 2025, former NASCAR champion Kyle Busch appeared in an interview with Frontstretch media. During the interaction, the RCR driver shared his thoughts on the rumored 3/3/4 format, which was being discussed for implementation in the 2026 Cup Series season.
The 2025 format featured three elimination rounds before the Championship 4 race. Each round eliminated the four lowest-scoring drivers from the grid until four remained for the final race. However, the governing body faced scrutiny over the format, which led to the change for the 2026 season.
Following that, Kyle Busch opened up about the format and told the media:
“Uh, I don’t. It doesn’t matter what system it is. Everybody wants to make such a big deal about what it is. If you know what is going in, exploit it the way you need to exploit it for yourself to make a championship. There you go.”
Kyle Busch has been witnessing the toughest years of his career. He has been on a winless streak since the 2023 Enjoy Illinois 300. Following that, Busch even missed the playoffs in the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
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