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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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