NASCAR Standings
In every level of NASCAR, whether it’s the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series or the Truck Series, there’s standings for each one. Drivers race all season to finish atop the standings of their respective series. Many things go into determining how many points a driver gets per race in the Cup Series. The driver who wins the race is awarded 40 points, while the second-place driver is awarded 35. Third is 34, fourth 33, etc.
NASCAR Cup Series races are split up into three stages and the drivers who finish in the top 10 in each stage are awarded points. 10 for first, 9 for second, etc. Take a look at the current NASCAR standings for this current season:
Understandings NASCAR Standings
When you look at the NASCAR standings, you’ll notice it’s point-based. The leader is at the top with his total number of points and beneath them the competing drivers with their points. It will also tell you how many points each driver is behind the leader.
There’s also columns that tell the reader how many wins the driver has, as well as top-five finishes, top-10 finishes, laps led, stages won and DNFs (did not finish).
NASCAR standings are used to track the performance of drivers and teams throughout a racing season. The standings are based on a point system that rewards drivers and teams for their finishing position in each race.
The driver and team with the most points at the end of the season are crowned as the champions.
How are NASCAR Standings Calculated?
- Drivers earn points based on their finishing position in each race. The winner of the race earns 40 points, with additional points awarded for lower finishing positions (e.g. 35 points for 2nd place, 34 points for 3rd place, and so on).
- Drivers can also earn bonus points for leading at least one lap in a race (1 point) and leading the most laps in a race (1 point).
- At the end of the regular season, the top 16 drivers in the standings qualify for the playoffs, which consist of three rounds of elimination races.
- During the playoffs, drivers earn additional points based on their finishing position in each race, with the number of drivers being eliminated after each round until only four drivers remain for the championship race.
- The driver with the most points at the end of the championship race is crowned the NASCAR Cup Series champion.
Last-Season Standings
Strange as it may seem, champ Joey Logano didn’t have the most wins, but this is actually more usual than one may think. In fact, of the 19 winners in 2022, no driver dominated 2021 as Kyle Larson did, with 10 wins.
Having said this, the winningest 2022 drivers were: Chase Elliott (5 wins) and Logano (4 wins). Christopher Bell, Larson and Reddick tied for third with three wins each.
| Drive | Points-Standings |
|---|---|
| Joey Logano | 5040 |
| Ross Chastain | 5034 |
| Christopher Bell | 5027 |
| Chase Elliott | 5009 |
Best & Worst NASCAR Teams To Bet On
While there are teams in NASCAR, it doesn’t impact the standings. Each team has an agreement with the different types of cars.
For example Joe Gibbs racing is partnered with Toyota. Hendrick Motorsports is partnered with Chevrolet and Team Penske Racing is partnered with Ford. Stewart-Haas Racing is also partnered with Ford. There are more teams, smaller and more independent teams, but they typically aren’t near the top of the standings.
Best Strategies used by teams
While NASCAR isn’t typically thought of as a team sport, it is in many ways. When it comes down to the end of a race, a driver is way better off if he has one of his teammates near him at the top. This can help with factors such as blocking, which helps make way for some of their other teammates to come up and join them.
On the superspeedways in particular, it’s almost crucial to find a way to get your teammate near the front with you so they have a drafting partner, help giving them a literal final push to get them the win.
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