Overview
The NASCAR Chase, formerly officially known as the Chase for the Nextel/Sprint Cup and the NASCAR Playoffs, is a championship playoff system used in NASCAR's three national series. The system was founded as The Chase for the Championship on January 21, 2004, and was used exclusively in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2004 to 2015. Since 2016, NASCAR has also used the playoff system in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series and Craftsman Truck Series.