Original formula: 1949-1951
Points based on amount of prize money paid.
Example: Race purse of $1,000 paid 50 points-first place, 45-second, 40-third, 35-fourth, 30-fifth.
Race purse of $3,500 paid 175 points for first place, 157.5-second, 140-third, 122.5 fourth, 105- fifth, etc.

1952-1953 formula:
Same formula, purses rose. A minimum purse of $4,000 paid 200 points for first place, 192-second, 184-third, 176-fourth, 168-fifth.
A minimum purse of $25,000 paid 1,250 points for first, 1,200-second, 1,150-third, 1,100- fourth, 1,050 fifth, etc.

1954-1962:
Competitors were awarded points per the old system with additional points awarded per a separate schedule.

1963-1965 formula:
Events paying $4,200-$6,000 awarded winner 400 points with each succeeding position receiving 16 fewer points.
Events paying $7,000-$10,000 awarded points per the point schedule listed in the 1963 NASCAR
Rule Book. Events paying over $10,000 awarded points on the basis of 50 points per $1,000 posted by promoter.

1966-1967 formula:
Events paying basic prize money in the $5,000 and less than $7,000 category awarded the winner 400 points,
with each succeeding position receiving 16 fewer points.
Events- $7,000-$10,000 awarded the winner 500 points, with each succeeding position receiving 20 fewer points.

1968-1971 formula:
Events to 249 miles: 50 points to win, with one less point for each succeeding position.
Events 250-399 miles: 100 points to win, with two less points for each succeeding position.
Events 400 miles and over: 150 points to win, with three less points for each succeeding position.

1972 formula (start of the modern era):
Tracks under 1 mile....................0.25 point per lap
1 mile tracks..............................0.50 " " "
1.3 mile track(Darlington)............0.70 " " "
1.5 mile tracks...........................0.75 " " "
2 mile tracks (Michigan)...............1.00 " " "
Tracks 2.5 miles and over............1.25 " " "

1973 formula:
100 points to win, with two less points for each succeeding position: 100, 98, 96, etc. (Race winner received 25 points in addition to the first position points.)
Additionally, lap points were awarded for the number of laps completed per the following schedule:
0 up to 1 mile tracks.........0.25 points per number of laps completed.
1 mile tracks...................0.50 points " " "
1.3 mile track..................0.70 points " " "
1 ½ mile track.................0.75 points " " "
2 mile track....................1.00 points " " "
2 ½ mile track.................1.25 points " " "

1974 formula
Money winnings from track purses (qualifying and contingency awards did not count), in dollars, multiplied by the number of races started, and the resulting figure divided by 1,000 determined the number of points earned.

1975 formula:
Most recent formula used. Still in use today, except the winner earned a max of 185 points, as opposed to the maximum of 48 today.

2004
Essentially, the point structure mirrored previous years, but NASCAR introduced the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
Under this new playoff-type system, only the top 10 drivers after race No. 26 could vie for the championship.
The top seed had his points reset to 5,050, with points decreasing by five for each driver.

2007
The Chase expanded to 12 drivers. After race No. 26, all Chase drivers' points were reset to 5,000, with 10 bonus points added to each total for every win during the first 26 races.

2011
Though the number of Chase drivers remained at 12, only the top 10 in points after 26 races got locked into the Chase. Spots 11 and 12 went to those drivers outside the top 10 with the most wins, provided they were in the top 20.

2014
from 2014 thru 2015 the winning driver was awarded 43 points
The winning driver receives THREE bonus points.
A driver who leads a lap during a race receives ONE bonus point.
The driver who leads the most laps receives an additional ONE bonus point.
A winning driver could score a maximum of 48 points
These bonus points were NOT awarded in the final race of the season to the final four drivers in the Championship race.

Under the current system, the Chase expands to 16 drivers. A top-line overview:
- A victory in the first 26 races all but guarantees a berth in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup - a change that will put an unprecedented importance on winning a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race all season long
- Expanding the Chase field from 12 to 16 drivers, with those drivers advancing to what now will be known as the NASCAR Chase Grid
- The number of championship drivers in contention for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship will decrease after every three Chase races, from 16 to start in the Chase Grid; 12 after Chase race No. 3; eight after Chase race No. 6; and four after Chase race No. 9
- The first three races of the Chase (27-29) will be known as the Challenger Round; races 30-32 will be known as the Contender Round; races 33-35 will be the Eliminator Round and race No. 36 will be the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship
- A win by a championship-eligible driver in any Chase race automatically clinches the winning driver a spot in the next Chase round
- Four drivers will enter the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship with a chance at the title, with the highest finisher among those four capturing the prestigious NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.(no bonus points for leading laps count)(NASCAR 1-30-2014)

2016
in 2016, the maximum numbers of drivers in a race was downsized to 40, the winning driver was awarded 40 points
The winning driver receives THREE bonus points.
A driver who leads a lap during a race receives ONE bonus point.
The driver who leads the most laps receives an additional ONE bonus point.
A winning driver could score a maximum of 45 points
These bonus points were NOT awarded in the final race of the season to the final four drivers in the Championship race.

2017