NASCAR points system, explained

Here is a breakdown of how the points system for the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series works:

There are three parts – stages – of the race. At the end of the first two stages, a driver earns bonus points based on where they are at those points, as long as they are in the top-10.

Any points a driver earns in the first two stages gets added on to the points they earn for where they finish:

Points for finishing position

1. 40
2. 35
3. 34
4. 33
5. 32
6. 31
7. 30
8. 29
9. 28
10. 27
11. 26
12. 25
13. 24
14. 23
15. 22
16. 21
17. 20
18. 19
19. 18
20. 17
21. 16
22. 15
23. 14
24. 13
25. 12
26. 11
27. 10
28. 9
29. 8
30. 7
31. 6
32. 5
33. 4
34. 3
35. 2
36. 1
37. 1
38. 1
39. 1
40. 1

Points for stage finish

These points are awarded at the end of each of the first two stages (first three in the Coca-Cola 600) and each Duel at Daytona:

1. 10
2. 9
3. 8
4. 7
5. 6
6. 5
7. 4
8. 3
9. 2
10. 1

In the championship race (the season finale), the drivers in the Championship Four don’t receive stage points. The championship is decided solely on where they finish.

Example:

In the championship race, if non-championship driver Jim Jones finishes fifth in the race (32 points) after placing second and third in the stages (nine and eight points, respectively), Jim Jones will earn 49 points for the race.

In that same race, if championship contender John Doe finishes fourth in the race, behind the other championship contenders, after winning the first two stages, John Doe will finish fourth in points. Finishing position is all that matters among the championship contenders in the championship race.

How to make the playoffs and earn playoff points

A win gets someone into the 16-driver playoffs. Once a driver is in the playoffs, they start with 2000 points plus any playoff points they earned during the regular season.

Here is how you earn playoff points:

• 5 playoff points for winning a race
• 1 playoff point for winning a stage
• Be top-10 in points after the regular-season finale

Here is the distribution of playoff points for drivers inside the top-10 at the end of the regular season:

1. 15
2. 10
3. 8
4. 7
5. 6
6. 5
7. 4
8. 3
9. 2
10. 1

Playoff points carry through each round, except for the Championship round.

Example:

In the regular season, if Driver A wins a race (five playoff points) and a stage (one point) and is ninth in points after the regular-season finale (two points), that driver will start the playoffs with 2008 points. A win at any point in the playoffs advances a driver to the next round.

If Driver A wins two stages in the Round of 16 and advances to the Round of 12, they will start that round with 3010 points.

If Driver A wins a race (five playoff points) in the Round of 12, they will start the Round of 8 with 4015 points.

Then, if they advance from the Round of 8 to the one-race Championship 4 round, Driver A and the other three championship contenders will start with 5000 points. Their 15 playoff points don’t matter.

Whoever finishes highest of the four championship contenders wins the championship.