Seekonk Speedway Playoff Format

2026 Seekonk Speedway Sunoco Drive For The Cup Format

 

Seekonk Speedway will maintain the Sunoco Drive For The Cup playoff format for the 2026 season, with some adjustments to continue to emphasize that every single lap, from race one until the final checkered flag, matters more than ever.

 

The 2026 playoff format will include “The Final Four” in each one of Seekonk Speedway’s divisions, who will compete for the championship over the final four weeks of Fast Friday and NASCAR Saturday.

 

The Final Four are the top four in the championship standings at the end of the regular season (August 21-22). In the event of a rainout that weekend, the Final Four will be set based on the standings at the conclusion of the last completed event. Seekonk Speedway’s general tiebreaker rules will be used in the event of any ties to set a Final Four spot. 

 

Seekonk Speedway has eliminated the one-race, winner-take-all portion of the playoffs. The track has replaced it with a combined points system over the four playoff events that will profile consistency, winning and clutch performances from drivers all year, and in the final four weeks, to secure the championship. 

 

Drivers in the Final Four will also have the opportunity to carry bonus points from the regular season to help their title quest - with five bonus points provided to the points leader at the end of the regular season and one bonus point for each regular season race win. The one bonus point per victory will also apply during the four-week playoffs. Second through fourth in the championship standings at the end of the regular season will also earn bonus points going into the playoffs (3-2-1). 

 

‘26 Fast Friday playoffs: August 28, September 11-18 & championship night on September 25

‘26 NASCAR playoffs: August 29, September 12-19 & championship night September 26

 

Playoff seeding will be as follows:

1 Seed - 1st in regular season points

2 Seed - 2nd place in regular season points

3 Seed - 3rd place in regular season points

4 Seed - 4th place in regular season points

 

1 seed - beings with 5 points + any race win bonus points

2 seed - begins with 3 points + any race win bonus points

3 seed - begins with 2 points + any race win bonus points

4 seed - begins with 1 point + any race win bonus points

 

There will be no eliminations at any time during the playoffs. All four drivers in the Final Four will be eligible to win the title unless they are mathematically eliminated.

 

Points will be earned by competitors in the four-week playoff format and the highest total at the end of the four weeks will determine the champion. 

 

Drivers will be awarded points after each playoff event as follows:

4 to the highest finishing playoff driver in the race

3 to the second highest finishing playoff driver in the race

2 to the third highest finishing playoff driver in the race

1 to the fourth finishing playoff driver in the race

 

*If a playoff driver wins a playoff race, they will be awarded an additional bonus point. For example, if a playoff driver wins, they will have earned a total of 5 points for that night - 4 to be the highest finishing & 1 bonus for the race win*

 

The Seekonk Speedway points for the entire season will continue to run from opening day through championship night. The champion in each division will be the winner of the four-week playoffs. To determine second on down in the final championship standings for the 2026 season, Seekonk Speedway will resort back to the overall season standings. This means a driver could go from out of the playoffs (5th or worse) at the start of the playoffs and still finish second in the championship standings. Drivers who continue to race through the end of the season are likely to increase their points position and increase their point fund totals.

 

Notes:

• NASCAR Saturday heat race points will not be included in the playoff points tally.

• In the event of a rainout in any of the playoff events in the first three weeks, no races will have a rain date. If there are only two playoff weeks due to rain, the champion is determined based on the combined points from those two weeks, plus any points the driver entered the playoffs with.

• In the event of a rainout on the Final Four weekend, rain dates are in place. If those dates rain out, the season is over. The champion would be the highest of the Final Four drivers in the overall Seekonk Speedway season point standings to that point.

• Drivers in the Final Four will line up together for each playoff race event, as long as they have all qualified into their positions. The feature lineup will be determined with the non-playoff qualified cars at the front, followed by playoff cars together.

• A non-playoff car that is the feature winner from the previous week cannot start in front of the playoff cars, even if qualified. If a playoff driver wins a playoff race, they can still start ahead of other playoff cars the next week. 

• Drivers who do not have at least two of the previous three weeks of points will line up behind the playoff cars if they qualify. 

• As long as playoff drivers qualify into the invert (Fast Friday) or their heat handicap position (NASCAR Saturday) they will earn the spot they will start. 

• Heat race lineups for NASCAR Saturday playoff events will remain set off the normal track handicap system, with the Final Four drivers split up so they are not all in the same heat during playoff events.

• For all playoff events, Seekonk’s general and technical rules are in effect. 

• The order of which the four playoff drivers start in the feature will be determined off the normal track handicap procedure. On Fast Friday, the drivers will be inverted based on speed in the time trial session. On NASCAR Saturday, the drivers will be lined up with the normal handicap system - the lowest previous three week points average to the highest three week points average.

• The Playoff system will not impact Seekonk NASCAR State points or the INEX National Points. The Seekonk Speedway NASCAR Massachusetts State championship will be determined in the final race of the playoffs. The State champion will be the driver who earned the most NASCAR points across all track events for the season.

• Points through the entire regular season and playoffs will be honored in the same manner as 50-48-46-44-42 & through the field. At the end of the final race of the playoffs, there will be a final points grid that includes the point totals from the entire season. The winner of the Sunoco Drive For The Cup Playoffs will be the Seekonk Speedway Track Champion and be awarded first place as champion.

 

PLAYOFF LAP COUNTS:

 

Playoffs Week 1 + 2:

Pro Stocks: 40 laps

Late Models: 30 laps

Sportsman & Sport Trucks: 25 laps

Sport 4, Pure Stock & Legends Cars: 25 laps

Crown Vic Cruisers: 20 laps

Bandolero divisions: 15 laps

 

Playoff Week 3:

Pro Stocks: 45 laps

Late Models: 35 laps

Sportsman & Sport Trucks: 30 laps

Sport 4, Pure Stock & Legends Cars: 25 laps

Crown Vic Cruisers: 20 laps

Bandolero Divisions: 15 laps

 

Final Four Championship Events:

Pro Stocks: 50 laps

Late Models: 40 laps

Sportsman & Sport Trucks: 35 laps

Sport 4, Pure Stock & Legends Cars: 30 laps

Crown Vic Cruisers: 25 laps

Bandolero Divisions: 15 laps