NASCAR announced Tuesday that the Camping World Truck Series will adopt an elimination playoff format this year similar to the Chase for the Sprint Cup, along with the Xfinity Series.
The format will consist of eight drivers in two elimination rounds over seven races. A win in the first 16 races all but guarantees a driver entry into the Truck Series Chase, provided they are in the Top 30 in points and attempt to qualify for each race.
The playoff begins on Sept. 24 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Sprint Cup drivers who qualified for the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2015 are not eligible to be part of the championship race at Miami in either the Truck or Xfinity Series.
The first round, which begins with eight drivers, consists of the races at New Hampshire, Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. All drivers will have their points adjusted to 2,000, with three more bonus points added to their total for each win in the first 16 races. If a driver wins a race in the first round, the driver advances to the next round. The remaining available positions will be filled on points.
Each driver who advances to the second round, which has six drivers, (Martinsville, Texas, Phoenix) will have their points reset to 3,000. Drivers who win a race in the second round advance to the championship race. The remaining available positions (1-4) that have not been filled by wins will be filled on points.
The four drivers who advance to the championship race at Miami will have their points reset to 4,000. The highest finishing Championship 4 driver will win the championship.
The Truck series had had the same method - points over the entire season - of determining a champion since the series’ first season in 1995.
“Fans, partners and the industry have embraced the new Chase format like nothing we’ve seen in the sport’s history,” said NASCAR Chairman Brian France in a press release. “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. Competition in both the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will undoubtedly elevate to new heights and shine a spotlight on the rising stars of our sport.”