Racing 101
| 1 |
185 |
| 2 |
170 |
| 3 |
165 |
| 4 |
160 |
| 5 |
155 |
| 6 |
150 |
| 7 |
146 |
| 8 |
142 |
| 9 |
138 |
| 10 |
134 |
| 11 |
130 |
| 12 through 43 |
127 and down |
| |
| 1 |
5,000 |
| 2 |
5,000 |
| 3 |
5,000 |
| 4 |
5,000 |
| 5 |
5,000 |
| 6 |
5,000 |
| 7 |
5,000 |
| 8 |
5,000 |
| 9 |
5,000 |
| 10 |
5,000 |
| 11 |
5,000 |
| 12 |
5,000 |
| * drivers are awarded 10 bonus points for each race won in the first 26 races of the season |
The winner of each NASCAR Sprint Cup race receives 185 points. The runner-up in each event scores 170. From there, the point total decreases in five-point increments for places 2-6; points awarded drop to four points per driver for positions 7-11; and three-point increments separate drivers' points for finishers in 12th place or lower. The 43rd, or last place, driver, gets 34 points.
There are also bonus points up for grabs at each event. Drivers receive five points for leading a lap and an additional five points for leading the most laps.
In Sprint Cup racing, after the 26th race of the season, all drivers in the top 12 in points earn a berth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
All drivers in the Chase will have their points total reset to 5,000. However, for every race a driver has won during the first 26 races of the year, the driver earns 10 bonus points. The drivers then will be ranked accordingly to start the Chase.
SEASON OWNER POINTS
Owners are rewarded in their own points race in much the same fashion but, unlike drivers, they earn points for attempting to make a race. If an owner shows up with a pair of drivers and one fails to qualify, the owner still receives points for the non-qualifying effort.
The fastest non-qualifier on the race day earns 31 points for his owner, three down from the 43rd place points. The scale continues downward from there for all non-qualifiers, with the lowest possible amount of points awarded being one.
Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup
The 10-race Chase begins at New Hampshire in September; the last race will be at Homestead. Races will be scored the same way as earlier in the year, except that drivers outside the top 12 are not eligible to win the championship. The Chase driver who has the most points after Homestead will be crowned champion.