NASCAR: How does the playoff point scoring system work?

The first round of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs is set to end tonight at Bristol Motor Speedway. How does the playoff scoring system work?

At the end of the 26-race 2022 NASCAR Cup Series regular season, all 16 drivers who qualified for the playoffs had their point totals reset to 2,000, plus the number of playoff points they scored throughout the regular season.

First things first, the 16 playoff drivers are the regular season champion plus the 15 drivers who rank next highest in wins. In this case, that was Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott and the 15 other drivers who found victory lane during the regular season.

But one of those other winners, 23XI Racing’s Kurt Busch, withdrew from the playoffs due to concussion-like symptoms he suffered following a qualifying crash at Pocono Raceway back in July. So Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney, the highest finishing non-winner, took his spot.

Five playoff points are awarded for each race win, and one playoff point is awarded for each stage win. Each race, aside from the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, features three stages (two plus the race finish). The Coca-Cola 600 features four.

Additional playoff points are awarded at the end of the regular season for the playoff drivers who finish the regular season in the top 10 in the point standings.

• 1st place – 15
• 2nd place – 10
• 3rd place – 8
• 4th place – 7
• 5th place – 6
• 6th place – 5
• 7th place – 4
• 8th place – 3
• 9th place – 2
• 10th place – 1

Notably, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. finished the regular season in fourth place in the point standings but did not qualify for the playoffs. Those seven playoff points were therefore skipped, as opposed to being awarded to the fifth place driver instead.

Let’s use Elliott as an example. He won four regular season races (20 playoff points), five regular season stages (five playoff points), and the regular season championship (15 playoff points). So he began the playoffs with 2,040 points.

Points themselves are awarded the same way throughout the playoffs as they are in the regular season. Here is how they are awarded after each of the first two stages in a race.

• 1st place – 10
• 2nd place – 9
• 3rd place – 8
• 4th place – 7
• 5th place – 6
• 6th place – 5
• 7th place – 4
• 8th place – 3
• 9th place – 2
• 10th place – 1

And here is how they are awarded after the race itself.

• 1st place – 40
• 2nd place – 35
• 3rd place – 34
• 4th place – 33
• 5th place – 32
• 6th place – 31
• 7th place – 30
• 8th place – 29
• 9th place – 28
• 10th place – 27
• 11th place – 26
• 12th place – 25
• 13th place – 24
• 14th place – 23
• 15th place – 22
• 16th place – 21
• 17th place – 20
• 18th place – 19
• 19th place – 18
• 20th place – 17
• 21st place – 16
• 22nd place – 15
• 23rd place – 14
• 24th place – 13
• 25th place – 12
• 26th place – 11
• 27th place – 10
• 28th place – 9
• 29th place – 8
• 30th place – 7
• 31st place – 6
• 32nd place – 5
• 33rd place – 4
• 34th place – 3
• 35th place – 2
• 36th and lower – 1

The playoffs still utilize a win and in format. For example, if the three-race round of 16 features two different playoff winners, those two drivers lock themselves into the round of 12. The four round of 16 non-winners with the lowest point totals are eliminated at the end of the round.

Entering the round of 12, the 12 drivers still eligible to win the championship have their point totals reset to 3,000, plus the number of playoff points they scored throughout the regular season and the round of 16.

This round works the same way, in that it utilizes a win and in format to qualify for the round of 8. At the end of the three-race round of 12, the four round of 12 non-winners with the lowest point totals are eliminated.

Entering the round of 8, the eight drivers still eligible to win the championship have their point totals reset to 4,000, plus the number of playoff points they scored throughout the regular season, the round of 16, and the round of 12.

This round works the same way, in that it utilizes a win and in format to qualify for the Championship 4. At the end of the three-race round of 8, the four round of 8 non-winners with the lowest point totals are eliminated.

In the Championship 4, all four championship eligible drivers start with 5,000 points. The highest finishing driver in the winner-take-all season finale is crowned champion, as none are eligible to score stage points in this race.

Owner playoffs

The same format is utilized for the owner playoffs. Typically, the 16 teams in championship contention are represented by the 16 playoff drivers, so they don’t generate much attention, but because of Busch’s extended absence, that is a little bit different this year.

Busch’s #45 team is still eligible to win the owner title, with Bubba Wallace serving as the #45 Toyota’s playoff driver, because of Busch’s win at Kansas Speedway back in mid-May.

As a result, Blaney’s #12 team did not qualify for the owner playoffs, even though Blaney himself can still win the championship. On the flip side, Wallace himself is not championship eligible, as he was eliminated before the playoffs began.