NASCAR Playoffs explained: Format, rules, tracks, and schedule

Love them or hate them, the NASCAR Playoffs are fast approaching — and if you’re looking for a quick way to understand what’s going on, look no further.

In NASCAR, the championship is decided not by the cumulative number of points a driver scores over the season, but by a driver’s performance in the Playoffs. Here, we’ll break down exactly what the Playoffs are, and how they determine a championship.

NASCAR Playoffs: A history

NASCAR introduced the “Playoffs” format, also known as the Chase, for the first time in 2004 as a way to spice up the midseason for the Cup Series.

Effectively, NASCAR officials had realized that there were simply so many races taking place in a year that it could be hard to keep fans interested — especially if there was one driver running away with the title.

In 2016, NASCAR introduced the Playoffs format to its lower divisions, the Trucks and Xfinity Series.

Many NASCAR fans have conflicting feelings about the Playoffs. While the format does create a wealth of talking points and an ample amount of extra interest, there are still plenty of fans who wish the ultimate title of “NASCAR champion” was more reflective of that driver’s performance over the course of a season.

NASCAR Playoffs vs. NASCAR’s regular season

As we approach NASCAR Playoffs, you’ll also likely hear the phrase “regular season.” The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season consists of 36 races; the first 26 create the “regular season,” with the final 10 being the Playoffs.

NASCAR crowns an unofficial “regular season champion” at the close of those first 26 races; this title connotes that the driver in question was the most consistently quick during the first part of the year.

More on NASCAR’s F1 ties:

👉 F1 v NASCAR: Top speeds, engines, formats, calendars and safety measures all compared

👉 From F1 to NASCAR: The 10 F1 drivers who made the move to the US

How to score NASCAR Playoff points

In order to qualify for the Playoffs, drivers need to score “Playoff points” throughout the season. These are different than regular season points, which are awarded to the top 40 drivers, with a win being worth 40 points and 36th through 40th being worth one.

Playoff points are different. Drivers can earn playoff points three different ways: by winning a stage, by winning a race, and by winning the regular season championship.

A ‘stage’ is the name given to a segment of a NASCAR race that is ended by a mandatory caution flag. Every race has three stages, with the exception of the Daytona 500 and Coca-Cola 600, which have four stages. In effect, these are mini-races that take place within the overall race that are designed to initiate mandatory restarts.

A stage win — or, crossing the finish line first at the close of a stage — is worth one playoff point. A race win is worth five playoff points. The driver that wins the regular season championship earns 15 playoff points — and those points are awarded in a descending scale to the top 10 drivers.

How to qualify for the NASCAR Playoffs

Drivers qualify for the Playoffs in one of two ways. First, they can win a race, which generally guarantees entrance into the first round of Playoffs. Second, they can “point” their way in — or, amass more Playoff points than the competition and earn a slot in the first round.

Generally, winning a race is enough to guarantee your entrance in the first round of Playoffs — but because only 16 drivers can qualify for the Playoffs, and because NASCAR’s schedule features more than 16 races in the regular season, there is always a chance that more drivers win a race than there are slots in the Playoffs.

In that case, entrance is determined first by the number of wins each driver has scored, and then by Playoff points.

NASCAR Playoffs format

NASCAR’s Playoffs comprise a series of three “rounds” that slowly whittle down the number of drivers eligible for the title. Each round consists of three races.

Sixteen drivers qualify for the first “round” of Playoffs; only 12 drivers will proceed to the second round, and only eight to the third. Heading into the final race of the season, the field will be further whittled down to four Playoff drivers who will compete “straight up” for the title.

The easiest way to advance from one round to the next is to win a race. A race victory during the Playoffs earns a driver automatic entrance to the next round, where that driver will hope to earn another win and therefore automatically advance to the round after.

At the start of each round, Playoff-eligible drivers have their Playoff points wiped; they’re then able to start from scratch to rebuild their run for a title.

The four drivers in each round that fail to score a win in each round, and who also have earned the least Playoff points, are eliminated heading into the subsequent round. Again, Playoff points are reset, and the whole situation begins again.

After the three rounds are complete, four drivers will remain in contention for the championship heading into the NASCAR season finale. At that point, the championship-eligible driver that finishes highest in the race will become the champion. (Generally, the championship winning driver will also win the final race, but in 2023, Ryan Blaney became champion by finishing second behind a non-Playoff driver.)

2024 NASCAR Playoffs schedule

The Playoffs schedule for each of NASCAR’s three series are a little bit different in 2024.

NASCAR Cup Series:

• First round (round of 16) : Atlanta, Watkins Glen, Bristol (Sep. 8-21)
• Second round (round of 12) : Kansas, Talladega, Charlotte road course (Sep. 29-Oct. 13)
• Third round (round of 8): Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, Martinsville (Oct. 20 – Nov. 3)
• Final round (championship four) : Phoenix (Nov. 10)

For the lower NASCAR tiers, a different number of drivers qualify for the Playoffs but otherwise follow the same general structure.

NASCAR Xfinity Series:

• First round (round of 12): Kansas, Talladega, Charlotte road course
• Second round (round of 8): Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, Martinsville
• Final round (championship four): Phoenix

NASCAR Trucks Series:

• First round (round of 10): Milwaukee, Bristol, Kansas
• Second round (round of 8): Talladega, Homestead-Miami, Martinsville
• Final round (championship four): Phoenix

Read next: Former F1 star Juan Pablo Montoya returns to NASCAR with Michael Jordan’s team