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Sport

The evolution of NASCAR's championship format over the years

NASCAR Chase Jeff Gordon Ryan Newman Tony Stewart Dale [ Earnhardt ] Jr. Jimmie Johnson Kevin Harvick Matt Kenseth Richard Petty

NASCAR's championship format has just undergone its latest change, but it's far from the first time the Sanctioning Body has tweaked the way it crowns a champion.

Red Byron winning the inaugural season in 1949, The King earning his first crown in 1971, Dale Earnhardt winning his seventh in 1994, Jimmie Johnson's historic run of five in-a-row in 2010, and Kyle Larson's latest triumph in 2025 -- all of these happened under different systems.

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