With the 2025 season now in the history books and 2026 looming, it will soon be time to set out on a new NASCAR Cup Series campaign.
Unlike in most racing series, where the points, schedule and standings are relatively straightforward, NASCAR’s grueling 36-race Cup Series schedule adds a layer of complexity that keeps fans and drivers alike on their toes all season long. As the regular season progresses, each race can dramatically change the standings, and come the end of the season, small differences week to week add up to have big consequences for any given driver.
The Cup Series season is also divided into two at present and consists of a 26-race regular season, followed by a 10-race playoff format. After 26 races, a regular season champion will be crowned - as William Byron was in 2025 - before the top 16 drivers then compete over four elimination rounds and 10 races to determine the overall Cup Series champion for the season. Kyle Larson won the championship in 2025, denying Denny Hamlin, Chase Briscoe and Byron at Phoenix Raceway back in November.
On top of all of that, there is also the In-Season Challenge thrown into the mix, won by Ty Gibbs in its inaugural season in 2025. That, however, is totally independent of the overall championship.
Cup Series regular season standings and points
As mentioned above, there will be 26 races during the 2026 Cup Series season, starting with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway in February, and culminating at the same track in August with the Coke Zero Sugar 400.
Both regular-season and playoff points are scored during these races. Here’s how:
Regular season points
In each race, every single position will be awarded points in descending order, with 1st place awarded 40 points, all the way down to one point being awarded to 40th place.
| Race Finish | Points Earned |
|---|---|
| 1st | 40 |
| 2nd | 35 |
| 3rd | 34 |
| 4th | 33 |
| 5th | 32 |
| 6th | 31 |
| 7th | 30 |
| 8th | 29 |
| 9th | 28 |
| 10th | 27 |
| 11th | 26 |
| 12th | 25 |
| 13th | 24 |
| 14th | 23 |
| 15th | 22 |
| 16th | 21 |
| 17th | 20 |
| 18th | 19 |
| 19th | 18 |
| 20th | 17 |
| 21st | 16 |
| 22nd | 15 |
| 23rd | 14 |
| 24th | 13 |
| 25th | 12 |
| 26th | 11 |
| 27th | 10 |
| 28th | 9 |
| 29th | 8 |
| 30th | 7 |
| 31st | 6 |
| 32nd | 5 |
| 33rd | 4 |
| 34th | 3 |
| 35th | 2 |
| 36th | 1 |
| 37th | 1 |
| 38th | 1 |
| 39th | 1 |
| 40th | 1 |
Stage points
Drivers can also earn points from finishing inside the top 10 during stages one and two of a regular season race, as outlined below:
| Race Finish | Points Earned |
|---|---|
| 1st | 10 |
| 2nd | 9 |
| 3rd | 8 |
| 4th | 7 |
| 5th | 6 |
| 6th | 5 |
| 7th | 4 |
| 8th | 3 |
| 9th | 2 |
| 10th | 1 |
As of 2025, drivers can also earn one regular season point by finishing a race with the fast lap.
How do regular season standings affect playoff qualification?
16 drivers qualify for the Cup Series playoffs each season, and the regular season helps determine which 16 drivers this will be.
NASCAR currently operates a win and you’re in rule, meaning that any driver competing full-time who wins one of the 26 regular season races automatically qualifies for the Cup Series playoffs. For example, Shane van Gisbergen did not finish inside the top 16 due to his poor performances and points earned on ovals. But he did qualify for the playoffs via his five race wins on road courses.
If there are fewer than 16 race winners during the regular season, the remaining playoff spots are then decided by the regular season standings. Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman qualified for the 2025 playoffs based on their regular season points, for example, after neither driver won a race last season.
Playoff points
Drivers can also score playoff points during regular season races. Winning a race adds five points to a driver’s playoff points tally, whilst winning a stage adds one.
Playoff points come into effect when the playoffs begin, with each driver’s tally earned during the regular season added to their total at the start of each playoff round following NASCAR’s points reset, thus giving drivers an incentive to perform during the regular season.
Another incentive to perform well during the regular season is that the regular season champion is awarded a bonus of 15 playoff points ahead of the postseason and automatic playoff entry, although if they finish top of the regular season standings, it is extremely likely that they will have already qualified.
Daytona 500 duels
Another way the Cup Series drivers can score regular season points is via the Daytona 500 Duels, which take place ahead of the season-opening Daytona 500.
Qualifying at the Daytona 500 sets the starting grid for the front row of Sunday’s main event, but also for Duel 1 and Duel 2, the finishing order of which then determines the remainder of the starting grid (3rd to 40th) for the Daytona 500 itself.
The top 10 finishers in each of Duel 1 and Duel 2 will be rewarded with regular season points, with 10 going to the winner, and one point going to 10th - exactly how regular season points are dished out for stage results.
No playoff points are awarded to the winners of the Duels, only to the winner of the Daytona 500 itself.
NASCAR In-Season Challenge
First introduced in 2025, NASCAR now holds the In-Season Challenge during its regular Cup Series season with $1 million up for grabs.
The In-Season Challenge is a 32-driver, single-elimination bracket-style tournament that takes place over five races, with the top 32 drivers in the regular season points standings after Nashville making up the field.
Drivers are seeded by their best finishes across the three races prior to the tournament, which take place at Michigan International Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Naval Base Coronado.
Crucially, during In-Season Challenge races, no extra points are rewarded in relation to the challenge. Regular season and playoff points are distributed as they would be during any other races.
Cup Series Playoffs
After 26 regular season races, the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs begin, with 16 drivers having qualified based on their performance during the regular season.
These 16 drivers will then compete over 10 playoff races in order to decide the Cup Series champion. It is important to note, however, that whilst only 16 drivers are a part of the playoffs, all of the remaining Cup Series drivers take part in all of the playoff races.
At the end of the regular season, all drivers competing in the playoffs have their points reset to 2000, and then, their playoff points are added to this total ahead of the Round of 16. This process of resetting points and having playoff points added is repeated throughout the playoffs at the start of each round, other than the championship race.
Here is a brief but clear guide on how the Cup Series playoffs work:
Round of 16:16 drivers compete over three races, after which the bottom four drivers are eliminated. A win during any race at this stage automatically advances a driver to the Round of 12.
Round of 12: The remaining 12 drivers then compete over three further races, after which the bottom four drivers are once again eliminated. A win during any race at this stage automatically advances a driver to the Round of 8
Round of 8: The remaining eight drivers compete over three further races, after which the bottom four drivers are eliminated. A win during any race at this stage automatically advances a driver to the Championship 4.
Championship 4: The four remaining drivers compete for the title in one race - currently set to take place at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2026 - the highest finisher on the day being crowned champion.
