NASCAR is a vast sport and, needless to say, difficult to grasp in just a few days. The mere structure of an entire season has become somewhat complex since the sanctioning bodies brought about the elimination-style playoff format. For someone who has just started to garner a keen interest in NASCAR, one of the biggest questions could be: how does NASCAR’s point system work? Don’t worry, we have it covered for you.
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A NASCAR race can field as many as 40 entries, 36 of which are currently chartered teams and hence, are guaranteed a starting position in every single race. Each of those cars can earn points throughout the race in different ways; based on finishing position, winning stages, and so on. So let’s get into the details of it, shall we?
Every race consists of three stages, each of which has a role to play in the playoff picture. The race winner is awarded 40 points, the runner-up receives 35, the third-place 34, and so on till P35. Anyone finishing 36th and below will be awarded one point each. However, there are no points for leading laps or leading the highest number of laps.
The top 10 competitors of the first two stages of the race receive a major advantage through additional championship points, with the stage winner getting 10 points, the second-place finisher getting 9, and so on. But how does the current point system help the drivers in the playoffs? One might ask.
The playoff-points bonus structure
The 10-race-long stint, also known as the playoffs, is of supreme importance to every NASCAR driver out there. Whether one makes it into the playoffs can potentially determine their relationship with the team owners and, ultimately, the team’s relationship with its sponsors. Thus, each race is considered as a building block in the body of work, the work being the Championship title.
The driver with the highest points at the end of the regular season wins the regular season points championship. This gets them an additional 15-point leverage when the points are reset to 2000 after the 26th race at Richmond. Besides that, the top-10 drivers leading in points will receive bonuses with the second-place finisher getting 10, the third-place finisher getting eight, the fourth getting seven, and so on. These points can be carried over to the end of the round of eight.
Furthermore, the winner of the first two stages of each race will receive an extra playoff point, and the race winner will receive 5 playoff points, which will be added after the points have been reset as mentioned before. The playoffs are divided into three three-race rounds, each of which eliminates four drivers. Drivers who win one of those three races in a round, automatically qualify for the next round with the remaining spots filled up based on points.
