This is a list of points scoring systems used to determine the outcome of the NASCAR Championships since 1949. The Championships are awarded each year to the driver who accumulate the most championship points over the course of the Championship season.
Determined by money 1949–1951 Points based on amount of prize money paid. Points scale pays to the top 14, with occasional small amounts of points below 14th on an inconsistent basis. 1st place is worth 50 for every $1,000, or 25 every $500. Half points are common. Reported prize money never quite exactly matches: i.e. the first three races in 1949 are all listed as $5,000, but one pays 250 to win, one is 225, another is 200. Most races are 200 points, but the Southern 500 is worth $25,000 and has a large impact on the final standings. +Prize money1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th$5002522.52017.51512.5107.552.521.51.5$1,00050454035302520151054321$4,00020018016014012010080604020161284$6,0003002702402101801501209060302418126$25,000125011251000875750625500375250125100755025
1952–1967 The scale changes to spread out evenly across the top 25, and half points are eliminated. Prize money is usually rounded to the nearest thousand: i.e. a race paying $3,950 would count as 200 points. Prize money1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd23rd24th25th+$400020019218417616816015214413612812011210496888072645648403224168$6000400384368352336320304288272256240224208192176160144128112968064483216$1000050048046044042040038036034032030028026024022020018016014012010080604020$2000010009609208808408007607206806406005605204804404003603202802402001601208040$2500012501200115011001050100095090085080075070065060055050045040035030025020015010050
1974 Money (dollars) winnings from track purses (qualifying and contingency awards did not count), multiplied by the number of races started. The resulting figure divided by 1,000 determined the number of points earned.
Determined by mileage 1968–1971 Instead of using money, the championship points now determined by the length of the race. There was no special award for race winner, a constant gap of points was used between all ranks.
Event Length1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd23rd24th25th26th27th28th29th30th31st32nd33rd34th35th36th37th38th39th40th41st42nd43rd44th45th46th47th48th49th50th< 250 miles5049484746454443424140393837363534333231302928272625242322212019181716151413121110987654321250–399 miles1009896949290888684828078767472706866646260585654525048464442403836343230282624222018161412108642> 399 miles150147144141138135132129126123120117114111108105102999693908784817875726966636057545148454239363330272421181512963
1972–1973 Two different scoring systems were combined between 1972 and 1973. A points system for rank in the race and another point system for points based on the length of the race and the distance covered by the driver. For Example: The winner of the Daytona 500 in 1972 received a total of 350 points, 100 points for first place and an additional 250 points (1.25 points per lap * 200 laps) for race distance completed.
Rank points were awarded to the top 50 placing drivers in every race, using the following structure:
Season1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd23rd24th25th26th27th28th29th30th31st32nd33rd34th35th36th37th38th39th40th41st42nd43rd44th45th46th47th48th49th50th 19721009896949290888684828078767472706866646260585654525048464442403836343230282624222018161412108642 19731259896949290888684828078767472706866646260585654525048464442403836343230282624222018161412108642
Additionally, points for laps completed were awarded per the following schedule:
Track lap distancePoints per number of laps completed < 1 mile 0.25 1 mile 0.50 1.3 miles 0.70 1.5 miles 0.75 2 miles 1.00 2.5 miles 1.25
Equal points per race 1975–2010 In the 1975 season, a new scoring system was introduced, created by Bob Latford. Equal points are awarded in all races, regardless of their length or purse. Between rank 1 and 6, starting with 175 to the winner, there were 5 points gaps, between rank 6 and 11 were 4 points gaps and below rank 11 were 3 points gaps respectively. In the point scoring system there were points down to 54th place. These were not all awarded to drivers (drivers points were only awarded to drivers who qualified for a race, so depending on the race and year anywhere from 30-something up to 43 drivers might score points). Points were also awarded to owners, and these were awarded in order of qualifying time to cars which did not qualify for a race (e.g. if 43 cars qualify, and 3 DNQ, those 3 cars would get 40, 37, and 34 points). Owner points were used to determine provisional starting positions, which is the starting order when qualifying is rained out, etc. Along with the points based on the finishing position, a driver who leads at least one lap in a race would be credited 5 bonus points. Along with the 5 bonus points, only one driver in a race would receive an additional 5 bonus points for leading the most laps, so the driver who led the most would receive 10 bonus points altogether. In 2004 NASCAR introduced a new playoff format, but still using the old points scoring scheme. In 2004, 1st place was increased 5 points to 180, and another 5 points in 2007, to 185. So the gap between 1st and 2nd was extended to 10 and then to 15 points respectively.
Year1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd23rd24th25th26th27th28th29th30th31st32nd33rd34th35th36th37th38th39th40th41st42nd43rd44th45th46th47th48th49th50th51st52nd53rd54thLead a LapLead the Most Laps1975–20031751701651601551501461421381341301271241211181151121091061031009794918885827976737067646158555249464340373431282520151086421552004–20061802007–2010185
2011–2015 In 2010, a new scoring system for 2011 was developed. Equal points are awarded in all races, regardless of their length. In contrast to the previous point system, there are only steps of 1 point between all ranks, beginning with 1 point for rank 43. A driver receives 1 point for leading a lap. The winner automatically receives an additional 3-point bonus for winning a race and the 1 point bonus for leading the final lap. A driver receives 47 points at minimum for winning a race. If a driver leads the most laps and wins, they receive a maximum number of 48 points. In 2014 and 2015, bonus points for laps led and for the win were not awarded to Championship 4 drivers in the season finale, which was the final round of the elimination-style Chase for the Cup format. As a "Buschwhacking" prevention measure, drivers must declare which series they will earn championship points and cannot earn points in other series than the one that they have declared. This rule does not apply for owners, as their drivers' finishing positions will score owner points, regardless of the driver being eligible for points in that series or not. Ineligible drivers do not score any driver points in a race, but the owner will still score points.
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd23rd24th25th26th27th28th29th30th31st32nd33rd34th35th36th37th38th39th40th41st42nd43rdLead a LapLead the Most Laps43 (+3)42414039383736353433323130292827262524232221201918171615141312111098765432111
2016 In 2016, the number of cars was reduced to 40 per race, so the points scoring system was modified to reflect this change. A driver receives 1 point for leading a lap. The winner automatically receives the 3 points bonus for winning the race and the 1 point bonus for leading the final lap. The winner would normally receive 44 points, with a maximum point total of 45 if the driver led the most laps. Championship 4 drivers do not earn bonus points in the championship-deciding season finale. Jimmie Johnson won the 2016 Ford EcoBoost 400 to clinch his seventh championship, and earned only 40 points as a result. Race runner-up Kyle Larson, who was not one of the Championship 4, received 41 points after two point bonuses for leading a lap and leading the most laps of the race.
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd23rd24th25th26th27th28th29th30th31st32nd33rd34th35th36th37th38th39th40thLead a LapLead the most Laps40 (+3)39383736353433323130292827262524232221201918171615141312111098765432111
Stage points added 2017–2019
For all series in NASCAR, there is both a drivers and an owners championship, with the system based on finishing positions equal in both championships. Since 2011 in the National Series competition and 2012 in the Regional Series competition, the points system has been a one-point per position system except between the winner and second-place finisher, where the difference is five points. In all series except the Whelen All-American Series, a driver who leads a lap during the race will earn one bonus point (the only place leading counts is at the start/finish line). Under NASCAR's charter system beginning in 2016, the last place finisher will earn 1 point (previously the last place driver earned 1 point for the 40-car field has been used).
A new NASCAR Point System was announced for the 2017 season:
For the first time since 1971, the Duel qualifying races prior to the Daytona 500 became points paying races with the top-10 finishers earning points.
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, there are only 32 competitors, so the last-place driver receives five points. Teams must submit an entry form to NASCAR 13 days prior to the event with the race's entry fee, or they are deemed ineligible for points.
Most races are now divided into 3 "stages" with additional points available for position at the end of the first 2 stages and finishing points for the final stage. Stage 1 is roughly the first quarter of the race distance, Stage 2 is roughly the 2nd quarter and Stage 3 is roughly the last half of the race. Drivers can earn race points through their performances in Stage 1 and 2. Drivers who are running first through 10th at the conclusion of Stage 1 and/or Stage 2 will receive points according to the table below.
Points are awarded to the drivers in the first two stages: Position12345678910 109876543211111098765432111- 1098765432111-
Notes The only exception to the 3 stage race is for the NASCAR Cup Series's longest race, the Coca-Cola 600 which has 4 stages that are divided into 4 equal 100 lap quarters with points awarded for stage 3 position. Points are awarded to drivers and owners in the three national series in the final stage: Position12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031323334353637383940 403534333231302928272625242322212019181716151413121110987654321111115 40353433323130292827262524232221201918171615141312111098765432111 15 403534333231302928272625242322212019181716151413121110987654321 15
2020–2024 Following the suspension of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NASCAR altered the field size for the Xfinity Series and Truck Series, allowing fields of up to 40 competitors after practice and qualifying sessions were removed from race weekends. The Xfinity Series followed the Cup series point format with drivers finishing between 37th and 40th scoring 1 point. The Truck Series awarded 5 points to drivers finishing between 33rd and 40th.
2025 On February 4, NASCAR announced there would be an additional point for the driver and owner who achieved the fastest lap in each race in the top 3 series. This is called the Xfinity Fastest Lap and the driver who earns the most throughout the season in their respective series will receive a donation to the charity of their choice.
2026