In 2024, after Joey Logano won the NASCAR Cup championship with an average finish of 17.11, there was debate over the fairness of a playoff format that seems to undervalue consistency and overall performance during the regular season. Despite their victories throughout the year, high-performing drivers like Kyle Larson and Christopher Bell failed to make it to the final four. But NASCAR has stated that no changes will be made to the rules for 2025, though revisions could be considered for 2026.
So, what exactly is the structure of the NASCAR championship that is being criticized by the fans? The NASCAR Cup Series season is divided into two main segments: the ‘Regular season’ and the ‘Playoffs.’ The regular season spans 26 races, during which drivers vie for victories and accumulate points, aiming to secure a place in the Playoffs. Winning a race is the most straightforward path to the Playoffs, but drivers can also boost their chances by amassing points based on their finishes in the three stages of each race.
Specifically, the top 10 finishers in each stage are awarded points inversely proportional to their positions; for instance, the first-place finisher receives 10 points, descending to one point for the tenth-place finisher. The system is to encourage consistent high performance across all races and stages.
Stage points are accrued by drivers based on their finishing positions within each race. Specifically, the race victor garners 40 points, the second-place finisher earns 35, the third-place driver collects 34 points, and so on, with the points decreasing down to the 35th position, which earns 2 points. The drivers finishing last, from 36th to 40th, each receive a single point.
As the regular season concludes, the driver who has amassed the highest total of points is crowned the regular season champion.
Additionally, the winners of individual races are awarded five playoff points, and drivers who finish first in either of the first two stages of a race receive an extra playoff point.
The playoff season is segmented into 10 races spread across three rounds: the Round of 16, Round of 12, and Round of 8 culminating in the Championship 4 race, currently hosted at Phoenix Speedway—formerly at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Each round consists of three races. Winners of these races automatically progress to the next round, while others advance based on the cumulative points they have gathered. Ultimately, the victors from the Round of 8 move on to compete in the Championship 4, where they vie for the season championship.
NASCAR Rules and Regulations
To ensure uniformity and fairness, NASCAR enforces specific regulations that all teams and drivers must adhere to. Failure to comply with these rules can result in penalties ranging from financial fines to the disqualification of drivers or their crew chiefs, or both.
From the beginning of the first practice session to the end of the race, teams are required to use the same car. However, if a car gets damaged during practice or qualifying, teams may switch to a backup car. However, if a car fails to pass the initial inspection and a different car is raced, that car must start at the rear of the field.
During the race, seven different flags are utilized to communicate various statuses and directives on the track. The green flag signals the start or restart of the race; the yellow flag is raised to caution drivers about potential hazards, accidents, or adverse weather conditions on the track. A red flag halts the race, generally due to significant accidents or severe weather. The white flag announces the final lap of the race. When the green and white flags are displayed together, it signifies the end of a race stage. The black flag orders a driver to pit immediately, usually due to a rule violation or because they pose a risk to themselves or others. On road courses, the blue flag warns of slow or stationary cars ahead, although it is not used on ovals. The blue flag with yellow stripes alerts drivers to faster cars approaching from behind. Finally, the black and white checkered flag declares the race has finished.
When a yellow flag is displayed and the caution lights around the track are activated, the positions of the cars are immediately frozen, scoring ceases, and drivers must reduce their speed to match that of the speed vehicle.
When the caution flag [yellow] waves, the pit road is immediately closed — a protocol established after the 1989 Atlanta 500, signaled by a flashing red light at the pit entrance.
For most races, qualifying remains a single-car effort, particularly on oval tracks. On road courses, the format includes a 20-minute practice session divided among groups, with each group having fifteen minutes to post their fastest laps. The top five from each group progress to a decisive ten-minute session to determine the fastest times.
Daytona 500 qualifying follows a distinct format. The results from the single-car qualifying session determine the lineup for the Can-Am Duel races—two separate 60-lap, 150-mile races. The fastest two qualifiers from Sunday’s session secure the first two positions on the grid, while positions three through thirty-eight are filled based on the results of the Duel races. Positions thirty-nine and forty are reserved for the fastest two non-chartered teams not yet qualified.
NASCAR enforces penalties for various infractions, including entering the pit road before it’s open, pitting out of sequence, speeding on pit entry or exit, passing on the inside upon entering the pit road, crossing through more than three pit boxes to reach a pit stall, using over two air wrenches during a pit stop, non-compliant refueling practices, allowing a tire to roll beyond the center of pit road, or exceeding the allowed time for a pit stop.
Additional penalties may be imposed for false starts, illegal passing during the start or restart, failure to attempt qualifying due to multiple failed pre-race inspections, and causing a caution intentionally. Other infractions include ignoring the black flag, committing safety violations, and insufficiently torqued lug nuts—a specific concern in the Cup series where a car may be disqualified for having 17 or fewer lug nuts securely fastened.
