NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

Beyond chasing down Wallys, drivers enter national events chasing down points in order to qualify for the Countdown for the Championship, the NHRA's version of the playoffs. The regular season runs from the first event in Pomona until the 18th event in Indianapolis. After the 18th race, the points reset for the top 10 racers (who have qualified for the Countdown). Before we get to the Countdown, let's focus on how points are gathered for the first 17 events of the season.

NHRA NATIONAL EVENTS POINTS STRUCTURE (all races except Auto Club Finals and U.S. Nationals)

10 points are awarded to all racers who make a qualifying run. From there, 20 points are given for each round win. That's not the only way to get points, though. Racers can pick up points during the four qualifying sessions by pulling off one of the best three runs of the session. More on that: 

Performance bonus points WILL NOT be awarded for any session unable to be completed.

Points are also awarded based on the position a racer qualifies in. 

Then there are the real wildcards: the U.S. Nationals in Indy and the Auto Club Finals in Pomona. During the final race of the regular season and the final race of the, uh, actual season, points are worth 1.5 times as much, which gives drivers looking to move up the standings a fighting chance. Here's how the points play out for those races: 

That's not the only way points change at the U.S. Nationals. There are five qualifying sessions, and the top four runs of each session earn points. So, the best run of each session gets four points, the second-best gets three points, third-best gets two points, and the fourth-best gets one point. One more thing: The number of points you get for your qualifying position changes, too. 

That point structure remains the same for the World Finals in Pomona, with one exception: There are only four qualifying sessions. Got it? Good. 

The top 10 racers in each class after Indianapolis qualify for the Countdown to the Championship, which means they're eligible to compete for the title. Here's a video explaining how the chase for the championship has evolved over there years.