NASCAR Current Points System and Points System History


HOW Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series points are awarded

(2017 to current)

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

The new system, which will be in effect for all three NASCAR national series:
• Races consist of three stages, with championship implications in each stage.
• The race winner following the final stage receives 40 points, second-place 35, third-place 34, fourth-place 33; and os on (a 35-to-2 scale). Those finishing 36th to 40th will be awarded one point. There are no bonus points for leading a lap or leading the most laps.
• The top-10 finishers of the first two stages awarded additional championship points, awarding points 10-to-1 to the top-10 drivers at the end of each of the first two segments. Championship points following the first two stages will be awarded on a descending scale, with the stage winner receiving 10 points, second receiving 9 points, and so on.
• The playoff bonus structure will see the regular season points leader honored as the regular season champion, earning 15 playoff points that will be added to the driver's playoff reset of 2,000 (after the 26th race, Richmond). In addition, the top-10 drivers in points leading into the playoffs will receive playoff points, with second place receiving 10 playoff points, third place will earn 8 points, fourth place will receive 7 points, and so on. All playoff points will carry through to the end of the Round of 8.
• The winner of the first two stages of each race will receive one playoff point, and the race winner will receive five playoff points. Each playoff point will be added to his or her reset total following race No. 26 (Richmond), if that competitor makes the playoffs.
• All playoff points will carry through to the end of the third round of the playoffs (Round of 8), with the Championship 4 racing straight-up at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the title.
• Drivers will now carry bonus points -- called "playoff points" -- throughout the entire playoffs (instead of just the first round) when the points get reset. Drivers will earn five playoff points for every race win and one playoff point for every segment win. The top-10 drivers in the standings in the regular season also earn additional playoff points on a 15-10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale. Drivers will continue to accumulate points throughout the playoffs and carry all the points earned during the year into each of the first three playoff rounds.
• Qualifying for the playoffs: the regular-season champion plus 15 drivers based on wins with ties broken by points will get into the playoffs, as long as they are in the top 30 in the standings.
• The playoffs remain divided into three three-race rounds with four drivers eliminated after each round to set up four finalists for the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Drivers automatically qualify into the next round with a win in that playoff round, and the remaining spots filled by the point standings. At Homestead, the top-finishing driver among the four finalists at the end of the race wins the title.
• The 150-mile qualifying races at Daytona will be worth points to the top-10 drivers on a 10-to-1 scale (just like a race segment), but the winners do not get bonus points for the playoffs.


HOW NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points were awarded

(2016)

Winning driver receives THREE bonus points.
Driver that leads a lap (under Green or Yellow Flag) receives ONE bonus point
Driver who leads the most laps receives ONE bonus point.

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

The driver that starts the race receives the points and the finishing position credit.
a relief driver receives no points or credit for start/finish

In addition to the points above:
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.

(note: if two or more drivers tie for the most laps led, each gets the extra point)
As of 2014, these bonus points will NOT be awarded in the final race of the season
to the final four drivers in the Chase Championship race.

Owners points are calculated the same as drivers.
The exception that owners whose entries do not qualify (DNQ) for the race do not receive points.
NASCAR keeps track of team attempts to set the field in case both qualifying and practices are cancelled.


HOW NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points were awarded 2011-2015

Winning driver receives THREE bonus points.
Driver that leads a lap (under Green or Yellow Flag) receives ONE bonus point
Driver who leads the most laps receives ONE bonus point.

Finish Finish
Points
Finish Finish
Points
WIN 43 23rd 21
2nd 42 24th 20
3rd 41 25th 19
4th 40 26th 18
5th 39 27th 17
6th 38 28th 16
7th 37 29th 15
8th 36 30th 14
9th 35 31st 13
10th 34 32nd 12
11th 33 33rd 11
12th 32 34th 10
13th 31 35th 9
14th 30 36th 8
15th 29 37th 7
16th 28 38th 6
17th 27 39th 5
18th 26 40th 4
19th 25 41st 3
20th 24 42nd 2
21st 23 43rd 1
22nd 22    

The driver that starts the race receives the points and the finishing position credit.
a relief driver receives no points or credit for start/finish

In addition to the points above:
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.

(note: if two or more drivers tie for the most laps led, each gets the extra point)
As of 2014, these bonus points will NOT be awarded in the final race of the season
to the final four drivers in the Championship race.

Owners points are calculated the same as drivers.
The exception that owners whose entries do not qualify (DNQ) for the race do not receive points.
NASCAR keeps track of team attempts to set the field in case both qualifying and practices are cancelled.


HOW NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points were awarded 1975-2010

NOTE: Driver who led a lap (under Green or Yellow Flag) got FIVE bonus points
Driver who led the most laps got FIVE Bonus Points
from 1975 thru 2003 the winning driver was awarded 175 points
from 2004 thru 2006 the winning driver was awarded 180 points
from 2007 thru 2010 the winning driver was awarded 185 points
the rest of the points awarded by position remained the same

Finish Finish
Points
Finish Finish
Points
WIN 185 23rd 94
2nd 170 24th 91
3rd 165 25th 88
4th 160 26th 85
5th 155 27th 82
6th 150 28th 79
7th 146 29th 76
8th 142 30th 73
9th 138 31st 70
10th 134 32nd 67
11th 130 33rd 64
12th 127 34th 61
13th 124 35th 58
14th 121 36th 55
15th 118 37th 52
16th 115 38th 49
17th 112 39th 46
18th 109 40th 43
19th 106 41st 40
20th 103 42nd 37
21st 100 43rd 34
22nd 97    

The driver that started the race received the points and the finishing position credit.
a relief driver got no points or credit for start/finish

In addition to the points above, any driver who leads a lap during a race receives five bonus points.
The driver who leads the most laps receives an additional five bonus points.

Owner points were calculated the same, with the exception that owners whose entries do not qualify for the race are awarded owner points according to qualifying results. These are awarded by deducting three points per position until it reaches a minimum of one point (44th = 31, 45th = 28, 46th = 25, etc., after 54th, teams get 1 point).
Drivers that do not qualify receive no driver points.


History of the Point System in NASCAR's premier series

  • 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.

    Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Era

    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.

    Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Segments/Playoffs Era

    2017

    The new system, which will be in effect for all three NASCAR national series:
    • Races consist of three stages, with championship implications in each stage.
    • The race winner following the final stage receives 40 points, second-place 35, third-place 34, fourth-place 33; and os on (a 35-to-2 scale). Those finishing 36th to 40th will be awarded one point. There are no bonus points for leading a lap or leading the most laps.
    • The top-10 finishers of the first two stages awarded additional championship points, awarding points 10-to-1 to the top-10 drivers at the end of each of the first two segments. Championship points following the first two stages will be awarded on a descending scale, with the stage winner receiving 10 points, second receiving 9 points, and so on.
    • The playoff bonus structure will see the regular season points leader honored as the regular season champion, earning 15 playoff points that will be added to the driver's playoff reset of 2,000 (after the 26th race, Richmond). In addition, the top-10 drivers in points leading into the playoffs will receive playoff points, with second place receiving 10 playoff points, third place will earn 8 points, fourth place will receive 7 points, and so on. All playoff points will carry through to the end of the Round of 8.
    • The winner of the first two stages of each race will receive one playoff point, and the race winner will receive five playoff points. Each playoff point will be added to his or her reset total following race No. 26 (Richmond), if that competitor makes the playoffs.
    • All playoff points will carry through to the end of the third round of the playoffs (Round of 8), with the Championship 4 racing straight-up at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the title.
    • Drivers will now carry bonus points -- called "playoff points" -- throughout the entire playoffs (instead of just the first round) when the points get reset. Drivers will earn five playoff points for every race win and one playoff point for every segment win. The top-10 drivers in the standings in the regular season also earn additional playoff points on a 15-10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale. Drivers will continue to accumulate points throughout the playoffs and carry all the points earned during the year into each of the first three playoff rounds.
    • Qualifying for the playoffs: the regular-season champion plus 15 drivers based on wins with ties broken by points will get into the playoffs, as long as they are in the top 30 in the standings.
    • The playoffs remain divided into three three-race rounds with four drivers eliminated after each round to set up four finalists for the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Drivers automatically qualify into the next round with a win in that playoff round, and the remaining spots filled by the point standings. At Homestead, the top-finishing driver among the four finalists at the end of the race wins the title.
    • The 150-mile qualifying races at Daytona will be worth points to the top-10 drivers on a 10-to-1 scale (just like a race segment), but the winners do not get bonus points for the playoffs.


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