Two things to keep in mind about the NASCAR points system...
1. Only two Sprint Cup events are non-point races, the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona in February and the Sprint All-Star Challenge at Lowes Motor Speedway in May. Points are awarded at all other races equally -- the winner of the Daytona 500 receives the same number of points as the winner of any other race. There aren't any unimportant races.
2. Unlike most other racing series, NASCAR awards points to every racer who qualifies for the race. Even the guy who crashes on the first lap of the race and finishes 43rd gets some points. Even if you have no hope of winning, you need to keep racing to garner as many points as you can.
The winner of the race receives 185 points (actually 190 -- I'll explain in a moment), second place receives 170. Subtract five points for each position down to sixth place which is worth 150 points. After that, subtract four points for each position down to eleventh place which is worth 130 points. Subtract three points for each position after that. That guy who crashed on the first lap and finished 43rd goes home with 34 points. (See table below.)
Five bonus points are awarded for leading a lap. Every driver who leads any lap gets five extra points. You can only receive this bonus once during a race regardless of how many times you take the lead or how many laps you lead. This is why the winner of the race gets 190 points. He has to lead at least one lap to win even if it's only the final lap. Another five bonus points is awarded to the driver who leads the most laps. So the winner of a race can receive 195 points if he also leads the most laps.
There are 36 Sprint Cup points races. After the first 26 races, the top 12 drivers in points become eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the championship. NASCAR started this "playoff" system in 2004 and has tinkered with the format a couple of times since. Currently, the top twelve drivers have their point totals reset to 5000 points. They are also given ten bonus points for each race won during the "regular season." The idea here is to make the last races of the season more competitive, to keep a driver from running away with the championship before the season is over.
Jeff Gordon probably would have won the championship last year if not for the Chase. After 26 races he had a commanding lead of over 300 points. After the points were reset he was in second place, twenty points behind Jimmie Johnson.
Owner Points
Just as a driver is awarded points, the car owner is also awarded points based on where the car finishes the race, regardless of who's driving.
Mark Martin, who has been retiring from racing for the past couple of years, is scheduled to drive the DEI #8 U.S. Army Chevy in 26 races this year. Aric Almirola will drive the car during the other races. Mark Martin and Aric Almirola will receive driver points based on where they finish in the races they start. DEI (Dale Earnhardt Inc. -- owned by Teresa Earnhardt) gets owner points based on where the #8 car finishes a race regardless of whether Martin, Almirola, or anyone else is driving.
Owner points primarily come into play during race qualifying. The top 35 cars as determined by owner points are automatically qualified for the next race. Only eight spots are up for grabs to fill out a 43-car field.
Owner points are also awarded to cars that fail to qualify. The car that qualifies 44th and misses the race receives 31 owner points (the 34 points that the 43rd finisher receives minus three.) Keep subtracting three points for every qualifying position. The car that finishes dead last in qualifying receives one point just for showing up.
Manufacturer Points
The winner of a race earns his car's manufacturer nine points. The second-highest finishing manufacturer receives six points. The third-highest finishing manufacturer receives four points. The last manufacturer (there are only four -- Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge and Toyota) receives three points. Manufacturer points are not good for too much except bragging rights. Chevy has dominated the manufacturer points the last couple of years, but Ford is the all-time manufacturer.
Driver Points Table
| Finish | Points |
| 1st | 185 |
| 2nd | 170 |
| 3rd | 165 |
| 4th | 160 |
| 5th | 155 |
| 6th | 150 |
| 7th | 146 |
| 8th | 142 |
| 9th | 138 |
| 10th | 134 |
| 11th | 130 |
| 12th | 127 |
| 13th | 124 |
| 14th | 121 |
| 15th | 118 |
| 16th | 115 |
| 17th | 112 |
| 18th | 109 |
| 19th | 106 |
| 20th | 103 |
| 21st | 100 |
| 22nd | 97 |
| 23rd | 94 |
| 24th | 91 |
| 25th | 88 |
| 26th | 85 |
| 27th | 82 |
| 28th | 79 |
| 29th | 76 |
| 30th | 73 |
| 31st | 70 |
| 32nd | 67 |
| 33rd | 64 |
| 34th | 61 |
| 35th | 58 |
| 36th | 55 |
| 37th | 52 |
| 38th | 49 |
| 39th | 46 |
| 40th | 43 |
| 41st | 40 |
| 42nd | 37 |
| 43rd | 34 |
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