Although Comcast’s Xfinity Telecommunications brand will conclude its title sponsorship of NASCAR’s second-tier series by the end of 2025, it will continue to maintain its premier partner status with the sport for several additional years. As part of this renewed premier-partner arrangement, the promotion has introduced a new rule — similar to one adopted by F1 in 2019 — that awards an extra point to NASCAR drivers who record the fastest lap time in a race. The interesting part is that had this rule been in place last year, it would have greatly influenced the playoff rankings.
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While it may seem inconsequential, the addition means that the maximum number of points a driver can earn in a race has now increased to 61, encompassing finishing position, stage finishes, and the newly implemented ‘Xfinity Fastest Lap’ rule. It can alter the dynamics of the 2025 NASCAR season, as a single point could be the difference between a driver facing elimination or advancing toward a championship victory.
For instance, during the 2024 Cup season, eight drivers logged multiple fastest laps. Had this rule been in effect last year, Kyle Larson would have won the Cup Series regular-season championship, adding five more playoff points to his tally, all accrued during the regular season. Larson, who recorded the highest number of fastest laps at five, would have seen a big advantage from this change.
Besides that, Christopher Bell’s season could have taken a different turn with an extra three points, potentially securing his spot in the Championship 4 over William Byron.
If NASCAR awarded one point for the "Xfinity Fastest Lap" in 2024, these would have been the point totals:
– 5: Larson
– 3: Bell, Hamlin, SVG
– 2: Keselowski, Gibbs, Wallace
– 1: Logano, Blaney, Reddick, Hemric, Chastain, Busch, Cindric, Bowman, Elliott, Truex, Stenhouse,…— Austin Konenski (@AustinKonenski) February 4, 2025
The #20 JGR driver clocked the fastest lap at the Round of 8 opener at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which would have positioned him to contend at Phoenix Raceway. Later, at the Martinsville Speedway finale during the Round of 8, Bell could have edged out the #24 HMS driver by a single point.
Moreover, Bell’s teammate, Denny Hamlin, along with Shane van Gisbergen, would have also benefited from this rule change, each adding three extra points to their 2024 tally. Brad Keselowski, Ty Gibbs, and Bubba Wallace would have accrued two additional points each for recording the fastest laps in two respective races.
Meanwhile, a plethora of drivers including Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, Tyler Reddick, Daniel Hemric, Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, Austin Cindric, Alex Bowman, Chase Elliott, Martin Truex Jr., Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Briscoe, Carson Hocevar, John Hunter Nemechek, Austin Dillon, and Corey LaJoie would have each gained one extra point.
