SolveYourProblem Article Series: NASCAR
Everything You Need To Know About NASCAR

The NASCAR Point System

The NASCAR point system is one of the most exciting innovations to racing in recent years. The “Chase” gives fans the atmosphere of a play-off series and the point system is what makes it work. If you are new to NASCAR you may not be familiar with how the point system works. Let’s take a crash course to bring you up to speed.

Every race is worth the same amount of points except for the Budweiser Shootout and the NEXTEL All-Star race. These races do not earn any points toward the final “chase.” Points are the same if the driver wins the Daytona 500 or the smaller race at Watkins Glen. First place is always 180 points. Points are awarded on a declining basis to the drivers who finish after the leader. First place receives 180 points and last place gets 34. That is why you see many drivers back out on the track to finish a race. Points count!

Why do points count? They count because at the end of the 26th race, the ten drivers with the most points or within 400 points of the leader earn a spot in the Chase for the Championship. All drivers want to earn a spot in the Chase. They drive hard all through the season to earn their spot. These drivers are the only ones eligible to win the NEXTEL cup. The rest of the drivers still race but are not eligible to win the Cup.

A driver can add to their point total in two ways. They can earn five extra points for leading at least one lap in the race ad five points for leading the most laps in the race.

Owners also will earn points in nearly the same way but they earn points for just trying to make a race. So they earn points even if their driver does not qualify. The owner can earn points if their driver is the fastest non-qualifier on race day. 31 points are awarded for the fastest non-qualifying time that is only three less than the last place finisher.

Manufacturers also earn points. If their car comes in first they are awarded nine points for that race. Second place earns six points, third place gets four points, and fourth place receives three points.

The point system keeps fans interested throughout the entire season. The winner of the NEXTEL Cup Series is not decided until the end of the season. The ten with the highest points are in the chase and any of those drivers could win the Cup. The chase begins with the 27th race. The driver’s points are adjusted with the driver with the most points going into the chase starting with 5050 points. The points drop in increments of five through the list of drivers in the chase. Points are earned during the Chase the same way they are earned in the first 26 races. Fans stay excited and flock to the racetrack to watch the final ten races!

This year Denny Hamlin, a rookie, is in second place behind leader Jeff Burton. This may be an exciting year for Hamlin because he may win the NEXTEL Cup and be named Rookie of the Year.

A simple recap of the points system is this: first place wins 180 points with a possibility of 10 bonus points. Points are totaled for each driver at the end of the 26th race and the ten drivers with the most points go on to qualify for a spot in the Chase. A driver may also qualify for the Chase if he is within 400 points of the leader. Those drivers are eligible to win the NEXTEL Cup Series. Who will win this year?

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SolveYourProblem.com : 2008

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