The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Points System Explained

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series has used several point systems since its inception in 1949. NASCAR designed the current system, which has built-in  incentives that reward teams for winning, leading laps and finishing near the front. The system also rewards consistency throughout the season by awarding points to every competitor in each race and awarding the same number of points at each event – regardless of its length or venue.

Finishing Position:

Given the fierce competition within the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the number of teams capable of winning on any given weekend, a finish in the top five or top-10 is regarded as an admirable effort. Therefore, the winner of each event is awarded 15 points more than the driver who finishes in second place. The remaining top-five finishers are rewarded with a five-point separation between themselves and the next-highest finisher. Positions six through 10 are awarded a four-point separation. Three points separate each finishing position from 11th through the end of the field, regardless of the number of starters. Rewarding the winner, top five and top 10 finishers in this manner promotes not just performance, but consistency as well.

Bonus Points:

The only way a driver can receive bonus points is to lead a race. Five points are awarded to any driver who leads at least one lap. An additional five points are awarded to the driver who leads the most laps during each event. Bonus points are an important part of the system because they give value to leading a race at any time. That creates good, hard racing throughout the event. THe extra bonus points for leading the most laps improves the race in two ways: It’s an incentive to stay in the lead, even in the early or middle stages of the race, and it rewards those drivers who race hard all day but fail to finish due to an accident or mechanical problems.

Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup:

Before the first of the final 10 races of the season, the points total for the top 12 drivers in the standings are reassigned, with each driver receiving 5,000 points. Then, 10 additional points are added to each driver’s total for every race victory posted by that driver during the first 26 races of the current season (if any). Points for each of the final 10 events are then assigned according to finishing positions and leading laps exactly as described above.

Relief Drivers:

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points are awarded to the starting driver of each car, regardless of who is driving at the finish. The starting driver must take the green flag and completed at least one lap before turning the car over to a relief driver. Any qualified NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver may drive in relief. In some cases, a driver without a scheduled ride for a particular race may make practice laps in anticipation of driving in relief for another driver during the race. Other times, starters who have fallen out of an event may make themselves available to take over another car if needed.

Tiebreakers:

In cases where two or more drivers have the same number of points, the number of wins during the season is used to break the tie. Successive tiebreakers are the number of second-place finishes, third-place finishes and so on until the tie is broken.

Owner Points:

Owner points are distributed in the same manner as driver points except that the owner receives points based on the performance of the car, regardless of who drives it. For example, the owner of a winning car would receive 185 points for the first-place finish and five bonus points for leading at least one lap for a total of 190 points. If that particular car happened to lead the most laps during the race, an additional five bonus points would be awarded, and the owner would receive 195 points.

Owner point standings are used to determine starting lineups when qualifying is canceled, starting positions when identical qualifying times are posted, preference for provisional starting spots and the distribution of NASCAR plan money.

 

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Point Breakdown

Race Winner

185 Points

5-Point Differential

Finish	Points
2	170
3	165
4	160
5	155

4-Point Differential

Finish	Points
6	150
7	146
8	142
9	138
10	134

3-Point Differential

Finish	Points
11	130
12	127
13	124
14	121
15	118
16	115
17	112
18	109
19	106
20	103
21	100
22	97
23	94
24	91
25	88
26	85
27	82
28	79
29	76
30	73
31	70
32	67
33	64
34	61
35	58
36	55
37	52
38	49
39	46
40	43
41	40
42	37
43	34