NASCAR announced Monday it is revamping how it will award points during Cup races.
Each race will be divided into three segments, with the winner and top 10 of the first two segments earning bonus points from 10 to one. The final segment will conclude the race as usual, with the winner receiving 40 points through the 40th-place finisher earning one. Drivers leading the most laps and leading a lap will no longer be awarded bonus points.
The change will not affect how points are awarded to qualify for the Chase.
Points have been awarded on a 40-to-1 scale, the highest receiving 40 points, to the lowest 40 drivers. The winning driver gets three bonus points, a driver who leads a lap gets one bonus point and the driver leading the most laps gets an additional bonus point.
Here's a breakdown of the new rules from NASCAR:
_Races will now consist of three stages, with championship implications in each stage.
_The top-10 finishers of the first two stages will be awarded additional championship points.
_The winner of the first two stages of each race will receive one playoff point, and the race winner will receive five playoff points. Each playoff point will be added to his or her reset total following race No. 26, if that competitor makes the playoffs.
_All playoff points will carry through to the end of the third round of the playoffs (Round of 8), with the Championship 4 racing straight-up at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the title.
_Championship points following the first two stages will be awarded on a descending scale, with the stage winner receiving 10 points, second receiving 9 points, and so on.
_The race winner following the final stage will now receive 40 points, second-place will receive 35, third-place 34, fourth-place 33, and so on.
