{"id":6254,"date":"2022-12-22T03:25:47","date_gmt":"2022-12-22T03:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/motorracingsports.com\/?p=6254"},"modified":"2022-12-22T03:25:58","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T03:25:58","slug":"how-do-nascar-playoffs-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/motorracingsports.com\/how-do-nascar-playoffs-work\/","title":{"rendered":"How Do NASCAR Playoffs Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Editorial credit: Grindstone Media Group \/ Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NASCAR season is long and exciting, but it can also get pretty complicated. You might think it\u2019s just week after week of qualifying and race days, and for much of the year it is, but as the summer winds down and the main part of the season comes to a close, the next part of the annual festivities begins — the NASCAR Playoffs.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Following the 26-race regular NASCAR season, the NASCAR playoff races comprise of 10 races split into rounds of 3 with a final single race to decide the winner. 16 contending drivers enter the first playoff round and four are eliminated after each round of 3. With the final race, deciding the championship each year.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The playoffs are a source of confusion to many, even some pretty die-hard NASCAR fans. Some are happy enough just to see that races aren\u2019t over and that they keep getting more NASCAR action,<\/strong> but for those who are more curious about how these playoffs work, this article should help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The NASCAR playoffs are a series of 10 races that follow the grueling 26-race regular season. A place in the playoffs competition is open only to the top 16 drivers with enough wins and\/or top-10 finishes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 2022 season, drivers who won places within the playoffs were<\/strong> (and the number of times they\u2019ve been in the playoffs so far, including 2022):<\/p>\n\n\n\n The current format of top 16 drivers entering the playoffs season was first launched back in 2014.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The races themselves are run just like regular NASCAR races, with 3 stages, and points awarded to winners of stage 1 and 2 (up to 10 points per stage), followed by a winner\u2019s point bonus of up to 40 points.<\/strong> The playoffs work like a knockout tournament, with 4 drivers being eliminated from each round:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any driver that wins a race is guaranteed a spot in the next round,<\/strong> which means that up to three drivers may claim that spot during the first three rounds (rounds of 16, 12, and 8). Of course, should one driver dominate the field, they may deny that chance to others, leaving other places to be decided on points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As we know, however, it\u2019s not so common in NASCAR for one driver or team to win every race <\/strong>— unlike Mercedes-Benz in Formula 1! — which means the field stays pretty exciting throughout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scores are leveled out from round to round (see further below about the scoring system), allowing each round to be its own exciting competition<\/strong>. The final round is a winner-takes-all single race where the only objective is to cross the finish line first, and all the remaining four drivers starting on equal footing of 5,000 points. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are no foregone conclusions when it comes to the playoffs, and the winner of the regular season title has no particular advantage over their rivals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>What Are the NASCAR Playoffs?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/a>Structure and Schedule of Playoff Races<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Round<\/strong><\/td> Races<\/strong><\/td> Dates (2022)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr> Round of 16<\/td> Darlington Raceway
Kansas Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway <\/td>Sep 4, Sep 11, Sep 17<\/td><\/tr> Round of 12<\/td> Texas Motor Speedway
Talladega Superspeedway
Charlotte Motor Speedway<\/a> Road CourseSep 25, Oct 2, Oct 9 Round of 8Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Homestead-Miami Speedway
Martinsville Speedway<\/td>Oct 16, Oct 23, Oct 30<\/td><\/tr> Championship 4<\/td> Phoenix Raceway<\/td> Nov 6<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n