How to Understand NASCAR's Points System

NASCAR racing is one of the fastest growing spectator sports in the United States. The speed and crashes get the adrenaline flowing whether you are watching the race or competing. Nascar has implemented a points system to crown a champion at the end of each racing season. It is important to understand the points system if you want to follow this sport.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Watch a NASCAR race on television or at the track to get a feel for the racing style. Strategy can be just as important as speed in a race.
2. Get a list of the final results of the race. This will be needed to figure out how many points each driver received for their finishing position.
3. Check to see if a driver led a lap during the race. Also check to see which driver led for the most laps. Drivers get 5 points if they lead any lap during the race. They can only receive these 5 points once, meaning that regardless of how many laps they led, they only get 5 points indicating that they led at least one of the laps. In addition, the driver that leads the most laps gets an additional 5 points.
4. Check to see which driver won the race. That driver gets a 10-point bonus for winning. Add that to the 175 points for first place.
5. Continue going down the finishing results. For each driver that finished second to sixth, start with the winner's 175 points. Subtract 5 points for each finishing spot. From seventh to thirteenth place, subtract 4 points for each finishing spot. From fourteenth place on, subtract 3 points for each spot.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to calculate the points earned for each driver on your own. Then compare your score with the official results from the race.
• Be careful when giving the lead lap bonus points. A driver gets 5 points for leading a lap in the race, not 5 points per lap led.