The evolution of NASCAR’s championship format over time

NASCAR’s championship format has simply undergone its newest change, nevertheless it’s removed from the primary time the Sanctioning Physique has tweaked the best way it crowns a champion.

Purple Byron profitable the inaugural season in 1949, The King incomes his first crown in 1971, Dale Earnhardt profitable his seventh in 1994, Jimmie Johnson’s historic run of 5 in-a-row in 2010, and Kyle Larson’s newest triumph in 2025 — all of those occurred beneath totally different techniques.

In some unspecified time in the future, inventory automotive racing was awarding factors based mostly on prize cash, race lengths, and even laps accomplished. Within the fashionable age, the Chase or the playoffs have existed in some kind since 2004, breaking the season up into components and create unpredictable outcomes. 

With out getting too into the weeds of each little change, here is a simplified rundown of every system that NASCAR has utilized over its 77-year historical past, and the way it has advanced since 1949.

1949: It’s all in regards to the cash

Within the early days of the game, solely the highest 14 finishers scored factors for many races, with the factors awarded based mostly on the prize cash. In the event you assume the trendy techniques have been complicated, attempt to think about a factors desk that modified weekly. Successful a race that awarded $500 was price as a lot as ending 14th in a race that awarded $25,000, such because the Southern 500 at Darlington. This technique existed for a while, however with adjustments.

1952: Altering the money-based factors format

Factors being connected to money prizes continued till 1967, however in 1952, the system was altered to replicate rising area sizes and larger purses. Factors had been awarded again to at the very least twenty fifth place, and 200 factors for the winner of a race paying $4,000 (or much less) was the bottom rung. 

1968: Factors based mostly on race size, not prize cash

Beginning in 1968, the factors awarded had been now based mostly on race size, not prize cash. For races at 250 miles or shorter, the winner earned 50 factors. For races between 250 and 399 miles, the winner earned 100 factors. For races at 400 miles or longer, the winner earned 150 factors. This new system additionally awarded factors all the best way again to fiftieth place. This continued for 3 years with out adjustments.

1972 and 1973: Two techniques directly

As NASCAR’s prime degree of competitors turned the Winston Cup Sequence in 1971 and entered the trendy age, the championship format modified with it. In 1972 and 1973, there have been really two factors techniques. The first system awarded factors based mostly on ending place, now not decided by race lengths or purse cash. The race winner earned 100 factors, and it dropped by two factors with each place right down to fiftieth. 

On the similar time, drivers earned further factors for the gap they coated throughout every race. For each lap accomplished, the motive force would earn 1/4th of some extent at tracks shorter than one mile, half some extent at tracks one mile in size, and persevering with upward to 2.5-mile superspeedways the place drivers earned 1.25 factors per lap accomplished.

For 1973, the system was altered barely to award 125 factors to the race winner whereas holding the remainder of it the identical, including a bit extra emphasis to profitable. 

1974: Do the mathematics

NASCAR modified the system but once more in 1974, however this new format solely lasted a single yr … and you may in all probability guess why after studying about it. It took the purse cash, multiplied it by the motive force’s whole variety of begins, and divided that by 1,000. Even subsequent to the playoffs it was maybe probably the most complicated system ever used. The factors awarded additionally modified with each begin, for the reason that variety of begins performed an important position within the math.

1975: The Latford system decides the full-season champion

Richard Petty congratulates Dale Earnhard on his seventh championship

Picture by: NASCAR Media

Lastly, NASCAR discovered some consistency in 1975. The Latford system, developed by Bob Latford, awarded 170 factors to the race winner, and dropped 5 factors per place right down to sixth place. It then dropped 4 factors for each place right down to eleventh place, after which three factors per place right down to final place.

It lasted longer than every other format, and was used for many years from the period of Petty to Earnhardt and Gordon. The factors system even survived the early iterations of the playoffs and was in use by way of the 2010 season. The one change was with regard to factors for the race winner, upping it to 180 factors in 2004 and 185 factors in 2007.

2004: The Chase for the Cup Model 1.0 

The ultimate top-10 for the “Chase for the Championship”: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Jeremy Mayfield, Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Tony Stewart, Elliott Sadler, Kurt Busch and Mark Martin

Picture by: Autostock

Whereas the Latford system continued to be in use by way of the 2010, NASCAR launched the Chase for the Cup in 2004, resetting the factors partway by way of the season. It adopted the ultimate season with a full-season championship the place Matt Kenseth gained a single race in March after which used consistency to seize the crown.

With the Chase, the standings had been reset for the highest ten drivers in factors after Race #26. There have been incremental five-point drops between every driver to acknowledge their efficiency in the course of the common season, with the No. 1 seed granted 50 factors. 

2007: Increasing the playoff area

The playoff area was expanded from ten drivers to 12, all whereas nonetheless utilizing the Latford system. This model of the Chase additionally added an additional ten bonus factors for each race win, which was added to a driver’s whole after the factors reset following Race #26.

2011: Introducing wildcards and abandoning the Latford system

For the primary time since 1974, NASCAR didn’t use the Latford system to award factors in 2011. This additionally adopted Jimmie Johnson’s unprecedented five-year run of championships. They got here up with a brand new system with hopes of simplifying issues, awarding a single level per place. This model of the Chase additionally launched two wildcards, which introduced in two drivers between eleventh and twentieth within the standings with probably the most wins. A driving drive behind this was the 2010 season of Jamie McMurray, the place he gained three races together with the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 – however missed the playoffs.

Within the first yr with this technique, Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards really tied for the championship with Stewart profitable through the tiebreaker.

The ultimate yr of this technique was 2013, and featured the SpinGate controversy, with Michael Waltrip Racing inflicting an intentional warning to attempt to safe Martin Truex Jr’s spot contained in the playoff area. The fallout from that led NASCAR so as to add a thirteenth spot to the Chase, bringing Jeff Gordon again into the title hunt.

2014: Radical overhaul with eliminations and a number of rounds 

The 4 drivers for the 2014 Dash Cup: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Ryan Newman, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Joey Logano, Crew Penske Ford, Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet

Picture by: NASCAR Media

Enter eliminations. In 2014, NASCAR dramatically modified the championship, throwing the ten-race Chase for the Cup apart in favor of one thing totally new. To place it as merely as potential, NASCAR lower the ultimate ten races up into 4 rounds. The playoffs now included 16 drivers, together with a ‘win-and-you’re in’ function the place any driver inside the highest 30 in factors may win a race and routinely safe a playoff spot. If there have been lower than 16 winners, then the remaining spots could be crammed by the highest points-scorers. There have been additionally bonus factors for race winners as properly, which had been utilized at reset. As for the playoffs, every three-race spherical featured resets, eliminating the underside 4 drivers in factors (except they gained one of many three races). This continued till solely 4 remained, pushing them right into a winner-take-all finale with factors changing into irrelevant – the highest finisher of these 4 within the season finale would turn out to be the champion. 

This format was all about profitable, and but the primary champion was practically a winless driver as Ryan Newman ended the season second within the championship to Kevin Harvick. This format additionally triggered chaos all through the rounds, together with a large brawl between Brad Keselowski and Jeff Gordon at Texas Motor Speedway.

2017: The addition of stage factors and playoff bonus factors

The format remained the identical, however the factors round it modified a bit. NASCAR launched stage breaks and with them, stage factors. Most races had been break up into three phases with as much as ten factors being awarded to the top-ten runners on the finish of Stage 1 and Stage 2. This pressured drivers to race laborious from the beginning, and gave drivers the chance to restrict injury from good days that didn’t finish properly. These phases additionally awarded a single playoff level to the ‘winner’ that might be added to their whole when it turned time for the reset.

These playoff bonus factors had been supplied to race winners (now elevated to 5 per win), but in addition the highest ten drivers within the standings on the finish of the common season. The common season ‘champion’ would earn 15 of those bonus factors. 

Whereas there have been minor adjustments within the years that adopted, this continued to be the foundational format for figuring out a champion till the tip of the 2025 season. They even dropped the highest 30 rule, so even a driver final in factors may win their manner into the playoffs. Rising disdain for this technique  because the perceived ‘deserving’ champion fell brief within the one-race finale and frustration over its unpredictability pushed NASCAR to overtake its championship as soon as once more forward of the 2026 season.

2026: The Chase returns, however with a bigger area

2026 model of The Chase announcement

NASCAR’s new format is not really that new, as it is a return to the ten-race postseason we turned accustomed to between 2004 and 2013. Nonetheless, there are not any win and also you’re in wildcards, and the sector will stay giant at 16 drivers. Nonetheless, it should merely be the highest 16 drivers in factors who qualify for the Chase.

NASCAR additionally elevated the award for race winners as much as 55 factors, guaranteeing no driver can rating greater than them (through stage factors) and placing a 20-point hole between first and second.

Moreover, the reset after Race #26 is not going to be based mostly on bonus factors gathered in the course of the common season, however predetermined figured based mostly on factors place. For instance, the No. 1 seed could have a 100-point benefit over the No. 16 seed. There are additionally 25 factors between first and second initially of the Chase, earlier than dropping ten factors additional to 3rd after which 5 factors between every place.

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– The Motorsport.com Crew