NASCAR Cup points come from two places — where you finish the race, and how you fare in each stage along the way.
Race finish. For 2026 a win pays 55 points. Second place scores 35, third 34, and the scale drops by one point per position down the order. There is also a single point for the fastest lap.
Stage points. Every stage except the last awards bonus points to its top ten on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale, so a strong opening stint is banked even if the finish goes wrong.
The playoffs — "the Chase". The regular season runs 26 races; the top 16 drivers on points then advance to the Chase. Qualification is now purely on points — the old "win-and-you're-in" automatic berth for race winners has been dropped.
For 2026 the Chase has been rebuilt. NASCAR scrapped the elimination brackets used since 2014 — where drivers were knocked out in rounds and points were reset — so there are no knockout rounds. The champion is simply whoever leads the standings after the final race, rewarding season-long consistency.
See also what's new for 2026.