Breaking down the NASCAR Cup playoffs: How it works in the modern era

The regular 2024 NASCAR Cup series season may have closed at Darlington, crowning Tyler Reddick its champion, but the 2024 Series title is far from settled. That’s all determined in the next 10 races as part of the Cup playoffs. If you’re already lost, or a fan who needs a refresher, we’ve got you.

This year marks the 10th year with the knockout-style format. Originally called ‘The Chase’ in 2004 and involving ten drivers who simply tried to gather more points than the others over the course of the final ten races, the system has become something entirely different in the modern era. It was a decade ago that NASCAR did a a complete overhaul and introduced an expanded playoff field, eliminations, and ten races split into four distinct rounds to determine the Cup Series’ Season Champion.

So, how exactly does it work? Here’s a simplified breakdown of it all:

16 contenders
After the first 26 races, every full-time driver with a win is locked into the playoffs. The rest of the 16-driver field is made up of those with the most regular season points, but no wins during the year. In 2024, the only drivers to make it in on points alone were Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs.

Points reset: The standings then reset with every playoff driver awarded 2,000 playoff points. Bonus points accumulated during the regular season are added to the total — five points per race win, one point per stage win, and a handful of additional points for the ten highest drivers in the standings before the reset. This includes a whopping 15 for the regular season champion. However, they won’t be alone out on the track. All of the drivers who failed to make the playoffs will still be competing and doing so with one goal in mind — steal race wins.

Kyle Busch, Richard Childress Racing, zone / GetGo Chevrolet Camaro

Photo by: Ben Earp / NKP / Motorsport Images

Three rounds of elimination
Round of 16: The first three races of the playoffs make up the Round of 16, where the four lowest drivers in points (usually 13th through 16th) will be eliminated from title contention. Like the regular season, a win by any playoff driver — no matter how few points, automatically advances them into the following round.

2024 races: Atlanta Motor Speedway, Watkins Glen International, Bristol Motor Speedway

What to expect: This is the round where many of the ‘pretenders’ fall out of the playoffs, such as those who aren’t normally competitive but managed to find their way to Victory Lane at one point during the regular season. However, that may change this year with the introduction of a drafting track (Atlanta) to the opening round, as well as a road course. Bristol could be another wildcard after the shocking tire wear that threw the spring race into chaos, as the same compound is set to return for this September’s cut-off race. This is a round where the drivers seeded near the top of the standings only need to stay out of trouble to ensure advancement.

Round of 12: The points are reset to 3,000 with all of the bonus points added back, as well as any additional bonus points earned during the Round of 16. The format between these rounds is very similar with another three races, removing the four drivers with the least amount of points. When this round ends, half of the original playoff field will be gone.

2024 races: Kansas Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL

What to expect: The mid-point of the playoffs is known to have its fair share of surprise exits. This is partly due to the inclusion of a road course and a drafting track, but this year, both the Round of 16 and Round of 12 share this unique characteristic. As a result, 2024 could likely be the most unpredictable playoffs yet. At Talladega, manufacturer loyalty will be everything as those not part of the title hunt became assets to those that are within the Chevrolet, Ford, and Toyota camps. The ROVAL returns as an elimination race, which usually leads to odd strategies and drivers in the danger of falling short willingly giving up track position in a desperate attempt to garner stage points. A.J. Allmendinger capitalized on this in 2023, short-pitting the stages and snatching a win away from the playoff drivers.

Watch: See multiple angles of Chastain’s last-lap move to advance at Martinsville

Round of 8: The points reset to 4,000, including bonus points for one more three-race stretch. This leads into the penultimate race of the season where the bottom four drivers without a win will once again be eliminated. A win by any of the remaining eight drivers over the course of this round automatically ensures them a shot at the title in the finale. There will be up to at least one driver transferring in on points, depending on who wins these races.

2024 races: Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Martinsville Speedway

What to expect: This round is known for its drama with the championship drawing near. It has featured several physical altercations between title combatants, notably in 2014 when an all-out brawl ensued between the teams of Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski. In 2015, Matt Kenseth was suspended after intentionally wrecking Joey Logano out of playoff contention in payback for a previous incident. The list goes on, including the now banned wall-ride maneuver that launched Ross Chastain into the 2022 Championship 4 and made him a viral sensation. This round is usually the climax of the season, even more so than the title-decider. Ending at a short track, contact is common and tempers are expected to flare.

Note: Any points ties during these rounds will broken by a driver’s highest finish during the three races within that individual round.

Championship 4
The winner-take-all finale! The four remaining drivers will battle it out in the 36th and final race of the season as the points are reset to 5,000. During the race, there are no stage points awarded for the Championship 4 drivers. The format becomes very straightforward here — whoever finishes highest, wins the title. A tie, which happened in the old format during the 2011 season, is no longer possible. Wherever they qualify, the four contenders are guaranteed to select their pit boxes before the rest of the field.

Host track: Phoenix Raceway

What to expect: Since the current format’s inception, the champion has had to win the finale every single season — until last year. Ross Chastain became the first non-playoff driver in the knockout era to spoil the party and capture the checkered flag in the title-decider, drawing the ire of 2023 champion Ryan Blaney as he did so.

The four drivers for the 2014 Sprint Cup: Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Ryan Newman, Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford, Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: NASCAR Media

Phoenix has hosted the finale since 2020, known for its wild restarts where the entire field fans out as they cut the frontstretch apron in a bizarre, but perfectly legal display. Three of the last four champions have all started from pole at Phoenix, so qualifying will be critical. Last year, Blaney won the title from 15th on the grid.

And one last thing to keep in mind about the current format: Anything can and will happen. The dominant driver is guaranteed nothing and underdogs are given the chance to write their names into the history books. It may not be the fairest way to crown a season champion, but it never lacks for excitement.