The NASCAR Cup Series Drivers' Championship is awarded by the chairman of NASCAR to the most successful NASCAR Cup Series racing car driver over a season, as determined by a points system based on race results. The Drivers' Championship was first awarded in 1949 to Red Byron.[1] The first driver to win multiple Championships was Herb Thomas in 1951 and 1953. The current Drivers' Champion is Ryan Blaney, who won his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2023.[2]
The NASCAR points system has undergone several incarnations since its initial implementation. Originally, races awarded points by a complicated system based upon final positioning and weighted by prize money purses, such that higher-paying events gave more points. Soon after the advent of the modern era in 1972, the championship was decided by a more basic cumulative point total based solely upon a driver's finishing position in each race. In order to reduce the possibility of a driver clinching before the final event, NASCAR implemented the "Chase for the Cup" in 2004 which, with minor modification from 2004 to 2013[3] and more radical changes in 2014,[4] stands as the current format. Before the final ten races, 16 drivers, chosen primarily on race wins, are reset to an equal number of points, with bonus points awarded to a driver for each win prior to the reset.[4] With these changes, the last Drivers' Champion to clinch before the final race was Matt Kenseth in 2003.[5]
Overall, thirty-six different drivers have won the Championship,[2] with Richard Petty,[6] Dale Earnhardt,[7] and Jimmie Johnson holding the record for most titles at seven. Johnson has the record for most consecutive Drivers' Championships, winning five from 2006 to 2010.[8] Thus far, every champion has originated from the United States.[2] Bill Rexford is the youngest Cup Series champion; he was 23 years, 7 months, and 15 days old when he won the title in 1950.[9] Bobby Allison is the oldest Cup Series champion; he was 45 years, 11 months, and 17 days old when he won the championship in 1983.[10]
- ^ "NHOF: New Class Unveiled Tonight". Speed. Fox Sports. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2012.
- ^ a b c Diepraam, Mattijs; Galpin, Darren; Young, Rob; Korzan, Nicolás; Costa, Paulo; Ullrich, Andreas; Jones, Mark Alan (December 11, 2022). "Lower category champions – NASCAR Winston Cup". 8W. Forix. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
- ^ Graves, Gary (January 21, 2004). "David Pearson endorses new point system". USA Today. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
- ^ a b "NASCAR Announces Chase for the Sprint Cup Format Change" (Press release). NASCAR. January 30, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
- ^ "Matt Kenseth Claims NASCAR Winston Cup Championship". Motor Trend. November 10, 2003. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
- ^ "Richard Petty Information". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ^ "Earnhardt Information". Sports Illustrated. CNN Sports. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ^ Biebrich, Richard (November 21, 2010). "Jimmie Johnson wins fifth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup championship". New York Daily News. Homestead, Florida. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
- ^ "Drivers under 30 to win a NASCAR Cup Series title". NASCAR. November 11, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
- ^ Jensen, Tom (January 12, 2017). "45 days to Daytona: Allison, Petty oldest champions at age 45". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on January 13, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
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