All You Need to Know About the NASCAR Playoffs: Points System, Rules and More

The NASCAR playoffs are set to start on Sunday night in Darlington with the yearly race of the Southern 500. 16 drivers start the first round in the title chase drove by season champion Kevin Harvick.

NASCAR has declared on Thursday that they won’t award COVID-19 help to any driver who might have a positive COVID test during the end of the season races. A positive test will dispose of that driver from the post-season. Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson missed one race due to COVID-19 which can be blamed for his non-appearance from the playoffs.

The playoffs comprise of 10 races, with the initial nine divided into three parts, with three races each. Four drivers will be dispensed with after the third, 6th, and ninth races. This leaves the last four to race for the championship in Avondale, Arizona.

In the opening round, the 16 drivers qualified for the title have their points reset to 2,000 plus regular-season playoff points. After the initial three races at Darlington, Richmond, and Bristol, the four drivers with the least points who didn’t win during the rounds are not eligible for the NASCAR title.

Points are then reset to 3,000 plus playoff points for the second round of Las Vegas, Talladega, and the Charlotte street course. After that points are reset to 4,000 and playoff points for the third round of Kansas, Texas, and Martinsville. At that point, the four drivers left qualified to go to Phoenix with 5,000 points. The driver with the most points wins the title.

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What drivers have to say before NASCAR playoffs

Fox Sports reports, Denny Hamlin said, “We have got all the momentum we need.” 

“We will have the playoff points that we need and it just up to us to go out there and hope that we can execute as well as we have for most of the season. If we do, we are going to give ourselves a chance to win the championship.”

Joey Logano believes no practices make the races questionable as the drivers don’t know what is coming around the corner.

He said, “There may be some teams that hit it really fast and others that need to make big swings on their adjustments. It’s how you get to that point as quickly as possible.”

Chase Elliott feels he needs to win more consistently and be out front more often.

“We see the 11 [of Hamlin] and the 4 [of Harvick] and those guys winning about every other week.

“When they’re not winning, they’re running second or third, right? You got to be doing that, You got to be up front more often. You can’t hit it one week, then be off for three weeks, then hit it again, then be off for another three weeks, and expect the cards to fall your way.”