NASCAR playoffs
The NASCAR playoffs is a championship playoff system used in the NASCAR's three national series. The system was founded as 'The Chase for the Championship' on January 21, 2004, and was used exclusively in the NASCAR Cup Series from 2004 to 2015. Since 2016, NASCAR has also used the playoff system in the Xfinity Series and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series.
The NASCAR Cup Series version of the playoff system is often called the Chase for the Cup, and includes sixteen drivers that compete for the championship in the final ten races of the Cup Series. The first nine races are divided into three rounds, with four participants being eliminated after each round. The Xfinity Series Chase format is competed over seven races with twelve drivers. The Truck Series Chase also is seven races long, but only includes eight drivers.
On January 23, 2017, NASCAR announced that they would not be using the word "Chase," instead using the word "Playoffs".
Origins of the playoffs
The publicly stated purpose for the NASCAR playoff system was to make the NASCAR mid-season more competitive, and increase fan interest and television ratings. The timing coincides with the commencement of the college and National Football League seasons and the final month of Major League Baseball's regular season and Major League Baseball's Playoffs. Prior to this format, the Cup champion was sometimes determined mathematically prior to the season finale; a situation that existed in the lower-tier series, the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series, until they received their own playoff formats in 2016.By resetting and compressing the scoring of the top 10 drivers, the chances of each of those drivers winning the championship was increased, while not precluding anyone with a legitimate chance of winning. The original choice of top 10 drivers was based on the historical analysis that no driver outside the top 10, with 10 races remaining in the season, had ever gone on to win the Championship. The expansion to top 16 in 2014 made the elimination rounds possible.
Short track racing, the grassroots of NASCAR, began experimenting with ideas to help the entry-level racer. In 2001, the United Speed Alliance Racing organization, sanctioning body of the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series, a short-track stock car touring series, devised a five-race system where the top teams in their Hooters ProCup North and Hooters ProCup South divisions would participate in a five-race playoff, the Four Champions, named for the four Hooters Racing staff members killed in an April 1, 1993 plane crash in Blountville, Tennessee. The system organized the teams with starting points based on the team's performance in their division, and the teams would participate in a five-race playoff. The five races, added to the team's seeding points, would determine the winner. The 2001 version was four races, as one was canceled because of the September 11 terrorist attacks; however, NASCAR watched as the ProCup's Four Champions became a success and drivers from the series began looking at NASCAR rides. The idea was to give NASCAR, which was becoming in many areas the fourth-largest sport attention during baseball's road to the World Series and the outset of the pro and college football, NHL and NBA seasons.
"The Matt Kenseth rule"
The playoff system has been referred to as "the Matt Kenseth Rule" as a result of Kenseth's championship in 2003, the year prior to NASCAR adopting the playoff system. In 2003, Kenseth won the championship with just one race win along with 25 top-ten finishes. Ryan Newman won eight races that year, but failed to finish several races due to crashes and ended the season sixth in the driver's championship. NASCAR indicated that the 2003 championship outcome was not the driving factor in establishing the playoffs, as they had been considering adjustments to the points system to put more emphasis on winning races since 2000. "The Matt Kenseth Rule" more properly refers to the NASCAR numerical scoring system that was also implemented for the 2004 season, which increased the points awarded to race winners, thus emphasizing winning more and consistency less than in previous years. However, the coincidence of new playoff system in 2004 and Kenseth's 2003 championship led to the issues being linked, including by NASCAR officials in interviews and press releases.Cup Series
The playoffs system was announced on January 21, 2004 as the "Chase for the Championship", and first used during the 2004 Nextel Cup season. The format used from 2004 to 2006 was modified slightly starting with the 2007 season. A major change to the qualifying criteria was instituted in 2011, along with a major change to the points system. Even more radical changes to the qualifying criteria, and to the format of the playoffs itself, were announced for the upcoming 2014 Sprint Cup Series. As of 2014, the 10-race playoff format involves 16 drivers chosen primarily on wins during the "regular season"; if fewer than 16 drivers win races during the regular season, the remaining field is filled on the basis of regular season points. These drivers compete against each other while racing in the standard field of 40 cars. The driver with the most points after the final 10 races is declared the champion.Beginning with the 2008 Sprint Cup Series, the playoffs became known by its new name as a result of the merger of Nextel Communications with Sprint Corporation. From 2004 to 2006 some races aired on TNT, with the rest airing on NBC. From 2007 to 2009 all 10 races aired on ABC, but in 2010 NASCAR and ESPN quietly moved 9 of the 10 races to ESPN. In 2015 coverage returned to NBC with some races airing on NBCSN.
Seeding and scoring history
The current version of the playoff system was announced by NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France on January 23, 2017. The current format is the fifth since it was introduced for the 2004 season, with significant changes made in both 2007 and 2011. The 2017 change is the 15th time since 1949 that the point system had been changed, these latest changes affect both the race format and the playoff seeding.2004–2006
Starting in the 2004 season, after the first 26 races of the season, all drivers in the Top 10 and any others within 400 points of the leader will earn a berth in the Chase. All drivers in the Chase will have their point total adjusted. The first-place driver in the standings begins the chase with 5,050 points; the second-place driver starts with 5,045, etc. Incremental five-point drops continue through the list of title contenders.2007–2010
In 2007, NASCAR expanded the field of contenders to the top 12 drivers in the points standings after the first 26 races. Each drivers' point total reset to 5,000 points, with a ten-point bonus for each race won. The provision letting all drivers within 400 points of the leader was dropped. Brian France explained why NASCAR made the changes to the chase:"The adjustments taken put a greater emphasis on winning races. Winning is what this sport is all about. Nobody likes to see drivers content to finish in the top 10. We want our sport – especially during the Chase – to be more about winning."
2011–2013
The Chase format was again modified for the 2011 season, as was the point system for winnings. After 26 "regular season" races, the top 10 drivers, as determined by points accumulated during the season, automatically advance to contend for the Cup championship. These drivers are joined by two "wild card" qualifiers, specifically the two drivers ranked from 11th through 20th in drivers' points who have the most regular-season race wins. The 12 drivers' championship points are reset to a base of 2,000 per driver. Each of the 10 automatic qualifiers receives a bonus of 3 points for each win during the regular season, while the two wild card qualifiers receive no bonus. Normal scoring applies during the Chase, with race winners earning 43 base points plus 3 bonus points, all drivers who lead a lap earning 1 bonus point, and the driver who leads the most laps earning 1 bonus point in addition to any other points earned.As in all previous Chases, the driver with the highest point total at the conclusion of the 10-race Chase was the NASCAR Cup Series champion.
The Chase field consisted of 12 drivers from 2007 through 2012. An exception to this rule was in 2013, where the Chase field was expanded to 13 drivers for that season only as the result of the match fixing scandal. With seven laps remaining in the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Clint Bowyer went into a spin, forcing a caution. After the race, rumors abounded that Bowyer had deliberately forced a caution in an attempt to manipulate the finish of the race so as to help his Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Martin Truex Jr. clinch the second of the two Wild Card spots over Ryan Newman, who had been leading at the moment of caution. That Bowyer's spin had been deliberate had been further suggested by several things: the first was radio communications on Brian Vickers' team with his spotter, MWR general manager Ty Norris, telling him to pit under green on the restart, and that the audio on Bowyer's radio showed crew chief Brian Pattie pointing out Newman taking the lead and then asking a suspicious string of questions mere seconds before Bowyer spun. Furthermore, when interviewed by Dr. Jerry Punch post-race, Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was directly behind Bowyer, said that Bowyer "just spun out. It was the craziest thing I saw," and that the behavior of Bowyer's car was inconsistent with Bowyer's claim that a right front tire blew out. Vickers' pitting on the restart forced Newman to the back of the pitting cycle, costing him several positions. He ended up finishing third to Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch. By finishing third, Newman was tied with Truex in both wins and final points for the second Wildcard spot. Truex won the tiebreaker on top-five finishes.
The following Monday, September 9, NASCAR issued some of the most severe penalties imposed on a team in NASCAR Cup Series history. MWR was placed on probation for the rest of the season, and Norris was suspended indefinitely. All three MWR teams were docked 50 owner/driver points for "actions detrimental to stock car racing." As this penalty was applied to pre-Chase point totals, it knocked Truex out of the Wildcard spot and put Newman in his place. NASCAR was unable to find solid evidence that Bowyer's spin was deliberate, but did determine that Norris's order to have Vickers pit was a deliberate attempt to manipulate the Chase standings in Truex's favor. Had the ruse not happened, Newman was on point to win the race, automatically becoming the second wild card and bumping Truex.
The ruse also resulted in a second controversy when radio transmissions were discovered suggesting that Front Row Motorsports and Penske Racing had struck a deal for David Gilliland to give up a spot on the track for Joey Logano, allowing Logano to race his way into the final lock-in position by one point over Jeff Gordon. A second NASCAR inquiry resulted in both teams being placed on probation for the remainder of the year. This ruse was found to have been directly caused by the pace car. Had the pace car situation for Bowyer's intentional spin not occurred, Gordon would have finished ahead of Logano by one point and Logano would have been bumped by Newman winning the race since Newman would have taken the first Wild Card. Although Logano was allowed to keep his Chase berth, the field was expanded to 13 with the addition of Gordon on September 13. NASCAR chairman Brian France has always had the power to expand the Chase field in exceptional circumstances, and decided to invoke it in this case. In France's view, Gordon had been put at an "unfair disadvantage" due to Penske and Front Row's collusion, as well as MWR's improper instructions to have Vickers pit. Had this not happened, France said, Gordon would have been in the Chase by taking the last lock-in position, while Logano would have received one Wild Card position due to him being ahead of Truex and Newman in points, and Kasey Kahne would have taken the other Wild Card regardless of the race outcome as he had two wins entering Richmond.
2014–2016
On January 30, 2014, a new Chase system resembling the playoff systems used in other major league sports was announced at Media Day.Under the new system, the Chase field is expanded to 16 drivers for the 10-race Chase. The 16 drivers are chosen primarily on wins during the "regular season"; if fewer than 16 drivers win races, the remaining field is filled on the basis of regular season points. These drivers compete against each other while racing in the standard field of 43 cars. The driver with the most points after the final 10 races is declared the champion.
The new playoff system institutes three "cuts" where drivers are eliminated from title contention as the Chase progresses. In each cut the bottom four drivers are eliminated from title contention after the third race after a cut. After the first cut in what was called the "Challenger Round", the field was reduced to 12. The bottom four winless drivers kept their points after the first cut, while the remaining 12 Chase drivers' points are reset to 3,000 points. After three more races, the cut line eliminates the bottom four winless drivers after the sixth Chase race in the "Contender Round", reducing the size of the field another 33%. Drivers who miss the second cut have their points reset to their score at the end of the first cut, plus the combined points accumulated in the three races in the "Contender Round". Those who continue have their points all reset to 4,000. Then the "Eliminator Round" involves axing 50% of the Chase grid with the final cut, cutting the new bottom four drivers after the penultimate race at Phoenix, leaving the top four drivers to have their point totals reset to 5,000 so that they are tied for the final race at Homestead-Miami for the title run. The drivers who miss the cut after this round have their score reset to the score at the end of the first cut, plus total points accumulated in the six previous races. Of these four drivers who make this cut, the driver with the best absolute finish at Homestead is then crowned the season champion.
Under this system, any Chase driver who wins a race during a playoff round is automatically guaranteed a spot in the next round. Up to three drivers thus can advance to the next round of the Chase through race wins, regardless of their actual points position after the final race in that round. The remaining drivers to advance is determined by points.
The round names were removed starting in 2016, being changed to "Round of 16", "Round of 12", "Round of 8", and "Championship 4".
To identify the drivers within the 43-car field that are still involved in each round of the Chase, NASCAR designated various cosmetic changes in 2014: for these drivers, their cars' roof numbers, windshield header, front splitters and fascia are colored yellow, and the Chase logo appears on the front quarter panel.
2017
The previous championship format, renamed NASCAR Playoffs, was maintained for the 2017 season, but with changes. A revised regular-season points system will be adopted, splitting races into three stages. Stages 1 and 2 are roughly 1/4 of the laps each, and stage 3 is about the last 1/2 of the race, except for the Coca-Cola 600 which is split into 4 equal lengths. The top 10 drivers at the end of the first two stages each race will earn additional bonus points towards the championship, 10 points for the first place car down to 1 point for the 10th place car. At the end of the race, the normal championship point scheme will be used to award points to the entire field. Additionally, "playoff points" will be awarded during the regular season for winning stages, winning races, and finishing the regular season in the top 16 on the championship points standings. 1 playoff point for the winner of a stage, 5 playoff points plus an automatic berth into the round of 16 for the race winner.. Also, more bonus points for Top-10 in points standings at the end of the regular season: 1st place in regular season points earns 15 playoff bonus points in addition to the points earned with race or stage wins; 2nd place earns 10 playoff points; 3rd place: 8; 4th place: 7; 5th place: 6; 6th place: 5; 7th place: 4; 8th place: 3; 9th place: 2 and 10th place: 1. Playoff points are also awarded in each playoff race, except the final race, for those drivers still competing for the championship, for winning stages and winning races. If a driver qualifies for the championship, these playoff points will be added into their point totals after the resets for the first 3 rounds. For the Round of 4, there are no bonus points involved and the highest finishing driver of the 4 is declared the champion. This means a driver can have less regular season points than another driver, but be seeded higher due to more wins.The Kevin Harvick Rule – Fifth Place
Adopted from 2014 onwards, on the suggestion of driver Kevin Harvick, fifth place in the season-ending standings will be determined amongst the Chase drivers eliminated in each of the Chase rounds during the final races.First Round Elimination
Drivers eliminated in the first round will retain their Chase score and start the fourth race the same score after the first three races, and will accumulate points for the remainder of the season.Missed the Second or Third Cut
Drivers eliminated in the second or third round will have their score reverted to the score at the end of the first round, then their individual race scores for the three or six races, respectively, before their elimination from the championship contention will be combined with the score after the third race of the first round for the driver's total score.For the Final Race
After ten races, the drivers positions 5–16 will be determined by the total number of points accumulated in the ten races, without the points resets of the second or third rounds, added to the driver's base Chase score with bonuses added. In the final race, unlike the four championship contenders who cannot score bonus points, both non-playoff and playoff drivers eliminated from the championship are eligible to score all bonus points, so drivers who are contending for positions 5-16 will compete solely against each other.2018
The previous championship format is maintained, but a few changes were added to the design touches on the cars involved in the playoffs. Starting with the 2018 season, NASCAR collaborated with the Race Team Alliance and Twitter to unveil customized hashtags and emojis for the top 16 drivers entering the playoffs. Each driver will have their hashtag and emoji displayed on the sides of their cars until they are eliminated from contention. Non-playoff drivers can have their hashtags and the Twitter logo displayed on their cars. This was in effect until the fall Kansas race. From the fall Martinsville race to the fall Phoenix race, all hashtag and emoji labels were replaced with the NBC logo. At the season-ending Homestead race, all cars will sport Snapcodes as part of a partnership with Snapchat.Cup Series tracks
The following are the ten race tracks at which the final ten NASCAR Cup Series races for the Championship. Texas Motor Speedway was added in 2005 as a result of the outcome of the Ferko lawsuit which eliminated Darlington Raceway by NASCAR. Also, by way of a 3-way track change, Talladega Superspeedway moved to a later date, Atlanta Motor Speedway moved to the Labor Day weekend date, and Auto Club Speedway moved to a later date inside the Chase.In 2011, as part of a substantial schedule realignment, a number of further changes occurred in the Chase:
- Auto Club Speedway lost its playoff date.
- Chicagoland Speedway became host of the playoff opener. To accommodate this move, the races at Loudon, Dover, and Kansas all moved forward one week.
- Talladega and Martinsville swapped dates.
- Talladega and Kansas swapped dates.
- Talladega and Kansas swapped the dates back.
- Charlotte and Kansas swapped dates.
- Talladega and Kansas swapped dates again.
- New Hampshire lost its playoff date. Las Vegas replaces New Hampshire as the Playoff opener.
- Chicagoland race removed from the playoffs; moved back to July.
- Richmond was the second race in the Playoffs.
- Charlotte race moved one week earlier and held for the first time in the infield road-course.
- Dover race moved one week later, replacing the Charlotte race and becoming the first race in the second round.
- Miami no longer hosts the final race of the season as the race date was moved to late March, ending a tradition dating back to 2002; the final race of the season is now held in Phoenix.
- Dover race removed from the playoffs; moved to late August.
- Darlington became the host of the playoff opener; the Las Vegas race became the first race of the second round.
- Bristol Motor Speedway hosted a race in the playoffs for the first time, as the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race moved from late August to mid-September.
- Charlotte race was moved two weeks back, becoming the last race of the second round.
- Martinsville race was moved two weeks back, becoming the last race of the third round.
| Track | City | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| Darlington Raceway | Darlington, SC | 9 | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Richmond International Raceway | Richmond, VA | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||
| Bristol Motor Speedway | Bristol, TN | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Las Vegas, NV | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||||||
| Talladega Superspeedway | Talladega, AL | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Charlotte Motor Speedway | Concord, NC | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Kansas Speedway | Kansas City, KS | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Texas Motor Speedway | Fort Worth, TX | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | |
| Martinsville Speedway | Ridgeway, VA | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
| Phoenix Raceway | Avondale, AZ | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Atlanta Motor Speedway | Hampton, GA | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||||||
| Auto Club Speedway | Fontana, CA | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| Chicagoland Speedway | Joliet, IL | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
| Dover International Speedway | Dover, DE | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |
| Homestead-Miami Speedway | Homestead, FL | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Loudon, NH | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
;Notes
- The North Carolina track was known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009. After the 2009 season, Lowe's chose not to renew its sponsorship contract, causing the track to revert to its original name of Charlotte Motor Speedway.
- The Kevin Harvick rule applies in both eliminations. Eliminated drivers' scores in the first round will continue to accumulate, while drivers eliminated in the second round will have their scores reverted to the end of the first round, in addition to all accumulated points from races in the second round, and drivers race for fifth.
Xfinity and Truck Series
Comparison Playoff Champion vs Non-Playoff Points standings
Seven different drivers have won the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship since the playoff system was implemented in 2004. Jimmie Johnson has the most championships under the playoff format with seven, while Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch are the only other drivers to win multiple championships since the system was introduced.Below are the hypothetical champions based on only regular points standings after last season race if no playoff format had been implemented. This section is only to demonstrate the impact of the playoffs on the outcome of the championship in comparison to regular points standings. Given the ways that different formats change race strategy and therefore results, there is no way to know if these exact outcomes would have occurred.
- Seven times, in 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2019, the Cup Playoff Champion would also be the champion based on regular points standings.
- In three times, in 2005, 2017 and 2019, the Cup Playoff champion leads the points standings before the start of the playoffs.
- Only in two cases, in 2015 and 2016, the Cup Playoff champion wouldn't be in the Top 5 of the regular points standings.
| Year and Championship | Playoff-Champion Team | Final Non-Playoff points leader | Final Non-Playoff points standings | Regular season champion | Points standings at regular season conclusion | Comment |
| 2004 Nextel Cup | Kurt Busch Roush Racing | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon 5042 Jimmie Johnson 4995 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 4869 Kurt Busch 4795 Tony Stewart 4701 | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon 3602 Jimmie Johnson 3542 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 3541 Tony Stewart 3410 Matt Kenseth 3337 | |
| 2005 Nextel Cup | Tony Stewart Joe Gibbs Racing | Tony Stewart | Tony Stewart 5199 Greg Biffle 4984 Jimmie Johnson 4771 Mark Martin 4676 Carl Edwards 4597 | Tony Stewart | Tony Stewart 3716 Greg Biffle 3531 Rusty Wallace 3412 Jimmie Johnson 3400 Kurt Busch 3304 | Without the Chase, Tony Stewart would have won the championship in the second to last race in Phoenix. |
| 2006 Nextel Cup | Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports | Jimmie Johnson | Jimmie Johnson 5158 Matt Kenseth 5154 Kevin Harvick 4838 Tony Stewart 4727 Denny Hamlin 4725 | Matt Kenseth | Matt Kenseth 3785 Jimmie Johnson 3728 Kevin Harvick 3481 Kyle Busch 3424 Denny Hamlin 3348 | The final Non-Playoff points standings with a 4 points gap is closer than the Chase standings with a 56 points gap. |
| 2007 Nextel Cup | Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon 5455 Jimmie Johnson 5102 Tony Stewart 4749 Matt Kenseth 4718 Denny Hamlin 4623 | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon 3849 Tony Stewart 3537 Denny Hamlin 3490 Jimmie Johnson 3439 Matt Kenseth 3430 | Without the Chase, Jeff Gordon would have won the championship in the third to last race in Fort Worth. |
| 2008 Sprint Cup | Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports | Carl Edwards | Carl Edwards 5236 Jimmie Johnson 5220 Kyle Busch 4984 Greg Biffle 4747 Jeff Burton 4709 | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch 3878 Carl Edwards 3671 Jimmie Johnson 3576 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 3488 Jeff Burton 3384 | The final Non-Playoff points standings with a 16 points gap is closer than the Chase standings with a 69 points gap. |
| 2009 Sprint Cup | Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports | Jimmie Johnson | Jimmie Johnson 5156 Jeff Gordon 5090 Tony Stewart 5085 Denny Hamlin 4806 Mark Martin 4762 | Tony Stewart | Tony Stewart 3806 Jeff Gordon 3627 Jimmie Johnson 3534 Denny Hamlin 3491 Kurt Busch 3322 | The final Non-Playoff points standings with a 66 points gap is closer than the Chase standings with a 141 points gap. |
| 2010 Sprint Cup | Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports | Kevin Harvick | Kevin Harvick 5274 Jimmie Johnson 4989 Denny Hamlin 4865 Carl Edwards 4820 Jeff Gordon 4669 | Kevin Harvick | Kevin Harvick 3723 Kyle Busch 3495 Jeff Gordon 3493 Carl Edwards 3427 Tony Stewart & Jimmie Johnson 3417 | Without the Chase, Kevin Harvick would have won the championship in the second to last race in Phoenix. |
| 2011 Sprint Cup | Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing | Carl Edwards | Carl Edwards 1278 Kevin Harvick 1200 Tony Stewart 1191 Jimmie Johnson 1188 Matt Kenseth 1180 | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch 890 Jimmie Johnson 887 Carl Edwards 878 Jeff Gordon 872 Kevin Harvick 867 | New points scoring system was introduced. Without the Chase, Carl Edwards would have won the championship in the second to last race in Phoenix. |
| 2012 Sprint Cup | Brad Keselowski Penske Racing | Brad Keselowski | Brad Keselowski 1259 Greg Biffle 1240 Jimmie Johnson 1231 Matt Kenseth 1218 Clint Bowyer 1213 | Greg Biffle | Greg Biffle 914 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 902 Matt Kenseth 897 Jimmie Johnson 880 Brad Keselowski 868 | |
| 2013 Sprint Cup | Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports | Jimmie Johnson | Jimmie Johnson 1248 Kevin Harvick 1207 Matt Kenseth 1192 Kyle Busch 1163 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 1144 | Carl Edwards | Carl Edwards 842 Jimmie Johnson 841 Kevin Harvick 828 Kyle Busch 811 Matt Kenseth 807 | |
| 2014 Sprint Cup | Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon 1253 Joey Logano 1216 Brad Keselowski 1179 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 1175 Kevin Harvick 1171 | Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon 914 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 883 Brad Keselowski 830 Joey Logano 829 Jimmie Johnson 802 | |
| 2015 Sprint Cup | Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing | Kevin Harvick | Kevin Harvick 1321 Joey Logano 1299 Brad Keselowski 1217 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 1198 Martin Truex, Jr. 1165 | Kevin Harvick | Kevin Harvick 978 Joey Logano 948 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 894 Brad Keselowski 873 Jimmie Johnson 852 | Kyle Busch, the Playoff champion, would be 20th in the final Non-Playoff points standings, and he only participated in 25/36 points paying events, due to missing 11 races after an injury. |
| 2016 Sprint Cup | Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports | Kevin Harvick | Kevin Harvick 1159 Joey Logano 1133 Kyle Busch 1105 Brad Keselowski 1089 Denny Hamlin 1084 | Kevin Harvick | Kevin Harvick 876 Brad Keselowski 834 Joey Logano 783 Denny Hamlin 773 Kurt Busch 762 | Jimmie Johnson, the Playoff champion, would be 7th in the final Non-Playoff points standings. |
| 2017 Monster Energy Cup | Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing | Martin Truex, Jr. | Martin Truex, Jr. 1481 Kyle Busch 1314 Kevin Harvick 1276 Kyle Larson 1224 Brad Keselowski 1184 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Martin Truex, Jr. 1033 Kyle Larson 938 Kyle Busch 932 Kevin Harvick 892 Denny Hamlin 817 | Introduction of stage points. Without the Playoffs, Martin Truex, Jr. would have won the championship in the second to last race in Phoenix. |
| 2018 Monster Energy Cup | Joey Logano Team Penske | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch 1434 Kevin Harvick 1386 Martin Truex, Jr. 1264 Joey Logano 1247 Kurt Busch 1216 | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch 1073 Kevin Harvick 1032 Martin Truex, Jr. 884 Kurt Busch 881 Joey Logano 849 | |
| 2019 Monster Energy Cup | Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch 1330 Kevin Harvick 1329 Joey Logano 1320 Martin Truex, Jr. 1308 Denny Hamlin 1293 | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch 988 Joey Logano 971 Kevin Harvick 922 Denny Hamlin 911 Martin Truex, Jr. 872 | Without the Playoffs, Kyle Busch would have won the championship by 1 point. |
| Xfinity Series Year and Championship | Playoff-Champion Team | Final Non-Playoff points leader | Final Non-Playoff points standings | Regular season champion | Points standings at regular season conclusion | Comment |
| 2016 Xfinity Series | Daniel Suarez Joe Gibbs Racing | Elliott Sadler | Elliott Sadler 1150 Daniel Suarez 1110 Justin Allgaier 1062 Ty Dillon 1021 Erik Jones 1005 | Elliott Sadler | Elliott Sadler 891 Daniel Suarez 832 Justin Allgaier 823 Ty Dillon 807 Erik Jones 797 | Without the Playoffs, Elliot Sadler would have won the championship in the second to last race in Phoenix. |
| 2017 Xfinity Series | William Byron JR Motorsports | Elliott Sadler | Elliott Sadler 1181 William Byron 1074 Justin Allgaier 1044 Daniel Hemric 964 Cole Custer 945 | Elliott Sadler | Elliott Sadler 939 Justin Allgaier 821 William Byron 803 Daniel Hemric 736 Brennan Poole 727 | Without the Playoffs, Elliot Sadler would have won the championship in the third to last race in Fort Worth. |
| 2018 Xfinity Series | Tyler Reddick JR Motorsports | Daniel Hemric | Daniel Hemric 1230 Cole Custer 1206 Christopher Bell 1205 Justin Allgaier 1200 Elliott Sadler 1163 | Justin Allgaier | Justin Allgaier 988 Cole Custer 944 Christopher Bell 940 Elliott Sadler 919 Daniel Hemric 910 | Tyler Reddick, the Playoff champion, would be 6th in the final Non-Playoff points standings. |
| 2019 Xfinity Series | Tyler Reddick Richard Childress Racing | Tyler Reddick | Tyler Reddick 1404 Christopher Bell 1369 Cole Custer 1336 Justin Allgaier 1311 Austin Cindric 1200 | Tyler Reddick | Tyler Reddick 1132 Christopher Bell 1083 Cole Custer 1012 Justin Allgaier 990 Austin Cindric 923 |
| Truck Series Year and Championship | Playoff-Champion Team | Final Non-Playoff points leader | Final Non-Playoff points standings | Regular season champion | Points standings at regular season conclusion | Comment |
| 2016 Truck Series | Johnny Sauter GMS Racing | Johnny Sauter | Johnny Sauter 592 William Byron 589 Daniel Hemric 568 Timothy Peters 558 Christopher Bell 550 | William Byron | William Byron 470 Daniel Hemric 442 Johnny Sauter 433 Timothy Peters 428 Christopher Bell 421 | |
| 2017 Truck Series | Christopher Bell Kyle Busch Motorsports | Christopher Bell | Christopher Bell 1027 Johnny Sauter 975 Matt Crafton 893 Chase Briscoe 862 Ben Rhodes 794 | Christopher Bell | Christopher Bell 681 Johnny Sauter 660 Chase Briscoe 623 Matt Crafton 607 Ben Rhodes & Ryan Truex 544 | |
| 2018 Truck Series | Brett Moffitt GMS Racing | Johnny Sauter | Johnny Sauter 942 Noah Gragson 893 Grant Enfinger 853 Brett Moffitt 849 Stewart Friesen 835 | Johnny Sauter | Johnny Sauter 683 Noah Gragson 599 Grant Enfinger 587 Stewart Friesen 582 Brett Moffitt 560 | Without the Playoffs, Johnny Sauter would have won the championship in the second to last race in Phoenix. |
| 2019 Truck Series | Matt Crafton ThorSport Racing | Brett Moffitt | Brett Moffitt 921 Grant Enfinger 882 Stewart Friesen 863 Matt Crafton 841 Ben Rhodes 773 | Grant Enfinger | Grant Enfinger 699 Brett Moffitt 673 Matt Crafton 640 Stewart Friesen 639 Ben Rhodes 576 |