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Point
System HOW WINSTON CUP POINTS ARE AWARDED Everyone wins something in a Winston Cup race, even those drivers and teams that don't get their car to the starting line. The winner of a Winston Cup race gets 175 points. From there the points given decline in five-point increments for places two through six, drop another four points per driver for positions seven through 11 and fall three points per position for finishers in 12th place or lower. In addition, drivers who lead at least one lap at some time during the race earn five bonus points. The driver who leads the most laps in a single event earns 10 bonus points. Owners are rewarded in the points race in much the same fashion but, unlike drivers, they earn points for merely attempting to make a race. For instance, if a racing team shows up but fails to qualify its driver, the team will be awarded points based on the driver's non-qualifying speed. If that driver were the fastest non-qualifying driver for the race, he would be rewarded three points less than the last-place finisher in the race. Other non-qualifying drivers also are awarded the points in three-point increments down to as low as one point. Manufacturers have a points race of their own. The car maker who has a driver take first place in a race earns nine points for that race. Second-best performance by a manufacturer gets six points, third place earns four points and fourth place, three points. HOW THE MONEY IS SPLIT Much of the time, the driver who makes the most money in a NASCAR race isn't necessarily the winner of the race. This is due in large part to the Winston Cup's Special Awards Program, in which drivers compete in races within each race for a jackpot of money. At each of the 36 races, any driver who leads the most laps at an event is awarded the $10,000 Gatorade Front Runner Award. The pole position winner at each Cup race gets the $5,000 Bud Pole Award. A driver can also receive $5,000 by being the True Value Man of the Race and can gain even more money by getting the EA Sports Move of the Race Award. But there's still plenty of reason to try to win the race. The Winston No Bull 5 offers millions of dollars to drivers who are consistently at the front of the pack. At several major events on the NASCAR calendar, eligible drivers can win $1 million by taking the checkered flag. Drivers are eligible to run for the Winston No Bull 5 money by placing in the top five at the previous Winston No Bull 5 race. There is also the Winston Cup Leader Bonus, given to the driver who wins a race and leads the Cup points standings at the conclusion of the day. This leader bonus begins at $10,000 and goes up by that same amount until it is won. |
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