Now the 16 playoff drivers are simply set to be the 16 drivers who finish the 26-race regular season in the top 16 in the point standings. Trackhouse Racing's Shane van Gisbergen is the lowest winner inside the top 16, and he's 15th, 57 points above the cut line. The only winner not in the provisional playoff picture is Corey Heim, but that would've been true under the old format also. Of course, the removal of "win and in" wasn't the only change made to the playoffs for 2026. And playoff seeding is now based strictly on the regular season standings, with no more "playoff points" for race wins or stage wins.