NASCAR playoffs

The NASCAR playoffs, formerly officially known as the Chase for the Nextel/Sprint Cup (Nextel from 2004-2007, Sprint from 2008-2016), is a championship playoff system used in NASCAR's three national series. The system was founded as 'The Chase for the Championship'^[1] on January 21, 2004, and was used exclusively in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2004 to 2015. Since 2016, NASCAR has also used the playoff system in the Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series.

The NASCAR Cup Series version of the playoff system is often called the Chase for the Cup based on its former official name,^[2] and includes sixteen drivers that compete for the championship in the final ten races of the Cup Series. The first nine races are divided into three rounds, with four participants being eliminated after each round (with the exception of the final round where the Cup Series champion is decided). The Xfinity Series Playoff format is competed over seven races with twelve drivers and three rounds with four drivers also being eliminated each round (with the exception of the final round where the Xfinity series champion is decided). The Truck Series Playoff also is seven races long, but only includes ten drivers with 2 drivers being eliminated in the first round and 4 drivers being eliminated in the second round and the champion being decided in the third and final round.

In 2017, the Chase was rebranded as the "playoffs.”^[3] In 2018, NASCAR began awarding a regular season championship for the driver with the most points heading into the playoffs in all three series and grandfathered 2017 as the first time the regular season championship was awarded into the record books.^[4]