NASCAR Points System

Automobile racing is a sport unlike any other. Drivers complete against each other from week to week during the season, but a champion driver is chosen at the end of the season. In NASCAR that championship was called the Winston Cup for many years and became known as the "Race for the Cup". Even though Sprint now sponsors the racing series, many people still refer to it as the "Race for the Cup".

In NASCAR points are awarded depending on what position (1-43) a driver finishes. After each race those points are added to the previous total for the first 26 races. At the end of those races the top 12 drivers are separated from the rest and reassigned an equal amount of points; ten bonus points are given for each race won. For the last 10 races these drivers compete for the title of Sprint cup Champion.

The points awarded during the first 26 races are 185 points for winning the race; the second place driver receives 170 points; the next four position's points are reduced by five points for each position so that the driver who finishes sixth receives 150 points; for positions seven to 11 points are reduced by four for each position so that the driver who finishes eleventh receives 130 points; and for each remaining position beginning at 12 is reduced by three points until the driver who finishes in forty-third (last place) receives 34 points.

Drivers can also earn five bonus points for leading a lap and five bonus points for leading the most laps. Drivers do not receive any rewards for leading more than one lap unless that driver has lead the most laps in a race. If a driver has not led any laps but manages to pass a driver on the last lap to win the race, that driver will receive the five bonus points for leading the last lap. Drivers like staying in front because the car can get clean air, but to them the only lap that matters the most is the last one when the checkered flag waves.

The drivers are not the only ones who receive points, the car owner receives points equal to same as the driver's finishing position. Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge, and Toyota all have cars in the Sprint Cup Series. The manufacturers also receive points to determine a manufacturers championship.

Owner points are important because they determine which drivers are guaranteed to have a staring position in each race. As the season begins those positions are determined by the points from the previous year; for example the cars guaranteed a starting position for the first five races of 2009 are determined by the owners points from 2008. After the first five races the points for 2009 will determine who is guaranteed to have a starting spot in a race. The first 35 of 43 positions are the guaranteed spots.

Since the number of points are so important in a number of ways, drivers often take a wrecked car back out, as long as it meets the minimum speed, to try and improve their position and receive more points.

In NASCAR consistently finishing in the top 10 is often as or more important than winning a few races.