How Winston Cup Points are Awarded

We are frequently asked how the Winston Cup Point System works - we always say "Not very well".
The chart below will show you how the present system awards points, by finishing order.
1.  175     12. 127     23. 94     34. 61
2.  170     13. 124     24. 91     35. 58
3.  165     14. 121     25. 88     36. 55      
4.  160     15. 118     26. 85     37. 52
5.  155     16. 115     27. 82     38. 49
6.  150     17. 112     28. 79     39. 46
7.  146     18. 109     29. 76     40. 43
8.  142     19. 106     30. 73     41. 40
9.  138     20. 103     31. 70     42. 37
10. 134     21. 100     32. 67     43. 34
11. 130     22. 97      33. 64
5 bonus points are awarded to any driver leading a lap. 5 additional bonus points are awarded to the driver, or drivers in case of a tie, who led the most laps.

Manufacturer points are done differently. They are awarded on a 9-6-4 point basis determined by finishing position. For example, if a Ford wins the race, Ford gets 9 points. If the next highest finishing manufacturer is Chevy, they get 6 points, and Pontiac would get 4 points. Doesn't matter if the top 10 finishers are all Fords - they still get only 9 points. Next season, when Dodge returns to competition, the points will be awarded on a 9-6-4-3 basis.

Owner Points are the most misunderstood. These points are awarded just like the driver points, but go to the car owner. The Owner Points are used to determine the first 6 Provisional starting spots for each race - positions 36 through 42. Several differences from the Driver Points: The car owner gets the points for his car regardless of who is driving it - the points go with the car. Driver Points go with the driver, regardless of which car he is driving. And, for those of you who might think Jack Roush must always lead in Owner Points because he has 5 cars, that is not the case. An owner can only "own" one car as far as the Owner Points are concerned. Fido Roush might own one of the cars - it's just on paper. It's conceivable the 4-legged Roush could get more Owner Points than the 2-legged Roush. Remember, this is Nascar.

Have comments or questions ? E:mail:M.L. Morgan

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