Cup Series Championship format explained
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Jack NicoleAugust 30, 2021
Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
The identities of the 16 drivers who will compete in the 2021 NASCAR playoffs were confirmed in Daytona. But what is the format of the playoffs and how does it work?
NASCAR playoff history explained
The birth of the NASCAR playoffs dates back to the early 2000s.
Series owners are keen to give drivers more emphasis and rewards.
This comes after Matt Kenseth won the 2003 Cup after a solid season with just one win — in the third race.
The original form of the playoffs was called “Chasing.”
The 36-round calendar is divided into two parts, the first of which is now called the regular season.
Essentially, all qualifying drivers get a points boost and reset the championship for the final 10 races.
It stayed that way until the end of 2013, when the format underwent a drastic overhaul.
NASCAR Playoff Format Revamped
The 10-round mini-tournament was canceled because the series bosses opted to split the chase.
It has also been given a new title for the playoffs.
Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
The playoffs are divided into four rounds in a 3-3-3-1 format.
If you win in any of the first three rounds, you automatically advance to the next round of the playoffs.
Four drivers, those in the bottom of the playoffs are eliminated after every three races.
That leaves just four drivers for the winner-take-all “Championship 4” season finale.
Under the new format, places are allocated to drivers who have won during the regular season.
There are 16 spots to choose from, to be filled by any winning driver not occupied by the next highest scorer.
In the 2021 regular season, 13 drivers have won races and three drivers have earned points.
NASCAR Playoff Points System Explained
With the advent of Cup Series Stage competition for the 2017 season, the points structure has also been revamped.
At each stage of the race, the top 10 drivers will receive points on a sliding scale of 10-1.
The stage winner also gets playoff points, and the race winner gets five points.
At the end of the regular season, the driver with the most points is declared the regular season champion.
In 2021, this is Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports. The champ also earned 15 extra playoff points for his troubles.
The top 10 in the regular season standings will also receive additional playoff points, again on a pro-rata basis.
The system continued throughout the playoffs except for the final game.
For the current event at Phoenix, Arizona, only the top finish at the end of the race matters.
Those drivers who didn’t qualify for the playoffs are still active and have race wins.
When are the NASCAR playoffs?
The playoff schedule is as follows:
“Top 16”
- Darlington (Southern 500) – Sunday, September 5
- Richmond β Saturday, September 11
- Bristol β Saturday 18th September
“Top 12”
- Las Vegas β Sunday, September 26
- Talladega β Sunday, October 3
- Charlotte Road Course (roval) – Sunday, October 10
“Top Eight”
- Texas – Sunday, October 17
- Kansas β Sunday, October 24
- Martinsville β Sunday, October 31st
‘Champion 4’
- Phoenix – Sunday, November 7
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Jack usually writes or reads anything related to motorsport – from Formula 1 to NASCAR to British truck racing. His work as a motorsport reporter has been published in prestigious media such as Autosport, Motorsport.com and Motorsport News. In addition to racing, he is an avid amateur astronomer, podcast listener, and enjoys walks in the park with his three dogs.
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