Motor Sports - Nascar

How does the Nascar Nextel Cup points system work?

Winning isn't everything in NASCAR's Nextel Cup Series, every driver who starts a race is guaranteed at least 34 points for finishing last. In NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing), points are accumalated over a 36-race season. The season starts in February and ends in November. The driver who has accumalated the most points at the end of the season is the Nextel Cup champion. Click to Place a bet with Willhill Now!

There are two basic ways to score points in a NASCAR Nextel Cup race:
• Finishing position
• Bonus points

The Nextel cup points system was introduced in Jan 2004 this replace the Winston Cup which had been running since 1975. Under the 'New' system, the winner gains 180 points. The runner-up gets 170 points and the third, fourth, fifth and sixth places are separated by 5 points each. Then, the seventh through tenth place finishers are separated by 4 points and everyone else is separated by 3 points.

Drivers can also receive five bonus points if they lead at least one lap during the race. Also, the driver that leads the most laps of a race receives another five points.

The Nextel Cup takes on what many consider a "playoff" scoring format. NASCAR officials prefer to call it a showdown. According to the NASCAR Web site, the new scoring system sets up "a showdown for the Nextel Cup championship over the season's last 10 races." The final 10 races are being referred to as the "Chase for the Championship." Joining the top 10 drivers in the Chase, are any drivers who end up within 400 points of the leading scorer.

The chase participants' point totals will be adjusted for this phase of the Nextel Cup. At the start of the 10-race showdown, the first-place driver has 5,050 points and each driver after that sees an incremental drop of five points. So, the second-place driver has 5,045, the third-place driver has 5,040 and so on. Top prizes are The Champion will get a minimum $5 million each driver that finishes in the top ten will get $1 million, the 11th place finisher gets a $250,000 bonus.

At the end of the season, if two drivers have the same number of points, the driver who has won the most races that season wins the tiebreaker. If the drivers are still tied, they are separated by second-place, third-place, fourth-place finishers, etc. until the tie is broken. Click to Place a bet with Willhill Now!