Richard Petty Criticizes NASCAR's New Chase Format as Kyle Larson Dominates

Richard Petty has sounded the alarm on NASCAR's new Chase format, calling it "not a good system" and warning it could crown a champion before the final races. The seven-time Cup Series champion made his comments after watching Kyle Larson dominate at Kansas Speedway, leading 235 of 267 laps for a maximum 76-point haul.

The Chase format could end the title fight early

Petty's worry centers on the schedule. He noted that if a driver runs well at one 1.5-mile track like Kansas, they will likely run well at the next, such as Las Vegas. With the 10-race Chase having no eliminations and points carrying straight through, a driver on a hot streak can build an insurmountable lead. Larson entered the Chase as the seventh seed but has not finished worse than fifth in four races, with wins at Gateway and Kansas. He now leads Denny Hamlin by 26 points. Petty said if NASCAR isn't careful, the championship could be over before the last two or three events, which defeats the format's purpose.

A driver is 'probably not even half' of a championship team

In a separate discussion, Petty offered a blunt verdict on what it takes to win a title. "The driver always gets credit for winning a championship, but to me, he's just a big part of winning a championship, but he's probably not even half of what it takes," he said on Petty Family Racing. He pointed to the brutal reality of motorsport: a great driver in a bad car will struggle. As examples, he referenced Kyle Busch's winless struggles at Richard Childress Racing between 2024 and 2026 and Jimmie Johnson's 130-race winless streak from 2018 to 2020. The car, team, and equipment are the larger factors.

Petty endorses Trump with a NASCAR metaphor

Away from the track, Petty stepped into the political arena on Tuesday, October 20, 2026. He joined former President Donald Trump on stage at Pitt-Greenville Airport in North Carolina to offer a Republican endorsement ahead of the November midterms. Petty used a racing analogy, calling Trump "the best driver we've ever had" and urging the crowd to be the "best pit crew" by supporting down-ballot candidates. Trump had invited the NASCAR icon, whom he called "a real legend," to speak to the crowd.

His name is used to critique ARCA series standards

Petty's legendary name was invoked in a critique of NASCAR's developmental series. After a recent ARCA Menards Series race at Bristol where only nine cars finished on the lead lap, veteran spotter Freddie Kraft blasted the lack of competitiveness. "It literally looks like the Richard Petty driving experience with ten cars out there," Kraft said on the Door Bumper Clear podcast. He was referring to the old NASCAR era of low parity, where the best drivers could lap the field repeatedly. Kraft called for a enforced minimum speed rule, which is used in the Cup Series but not in ARCA, to prevent severely uncompetitive cars from cluttering the track.

• Chase Concerns: Richard Petty believes the new Chase format risks deciding the champion too early, before the final races.
• Team Over Driver: Petty estimates the driver contributes less than half to a championship, emphasizing car and team importance.
• Political Pit Stop: On October 20, Petty endorsed Donald Trump using a racing metaphor, calling him the "best driver."