by Lou Vailant

Created on: January 16, 2009

The NASCAR point system is fairly easy to understand. The system itself has gone through several evolutionary changes, but these have been few and far between. 2004 changed all that, while 2007 saw another minor change to that system. The original point system of NASCAR's premier series was fueled by a simple buildup of points. Whoever finished the season with the most points won. In 2004, a massive change was made to that system, and a ten race "Chase" or playoff system was implemented. The same general idea applies and the top twelve drivers going into the final ten races are essentially cut away from the others putting them in a point system of their own. While 13th and lower are left to fight for 13th place, the top twelve drivers are set to 5000 points, a point total unreachable by the drivers 13th and lower, and are given a 10-point bonus for every race won during the regular 26 race season.

There are two types of point standings, the driver's and owners. The most commonly viewed is the driver standings which is used to determine the standing of each driver and the champion at season's end. However, the owner standings is just as important. Though point numbers primarily remain the same, instead of the drivers name for each slot, it is the owner's name and the driver's car number. For example, instead of Jeff Gordon, the points will be attributed to Rick Hendrick and the #24 car. This is done in order for NASCAR to keep track of points as it eliminates possible issues such as cars without full-time drivers or teams that swap drivers mid-season. There is one major use for the owner's standings, determining the starting lineup of a race if qualifying is rained out. The owner's standings is used because the statistics are closer to the car involved and therefore a better judge of what the car is capable of. Also, the top 35 cars in the owner's standings are guaranteed to start each race. Those who fall out of the top 35 must qualify on speed alone. And yes, it is possible for two people to win a championship if the car that finishes the season with the most points is different than the driver with the most points. This has happened in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in recent years.

With the general base structure of the point system now understood, the next aspect is just as important-the points awarded for each position. As one would assume, depending on a driver's finishing position in each of the 36 races, they gain a different amount of points. The winner

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