Under the former win-and-you’re-in format, van Gisbergen was a shoo-in to make the Playoffs based on his road course racing nous. Under the revised ‘Chase’ format, van Gisbergen will only make it into the post-season if he finishes inside the top 16 on points. “I think it kind of needed a change,” van Gisbergen told the Performance Racing Network. Nevertheless, van Gisbergen is optimistic that his steady improvement on ovals will put him in good stead to make the top 16 in his second Cup Series season. The NASCAR Cup Series begins with the Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium on February 2 before the first points-paying event, the Daytona 500 on February 16.