How do IndyCar points work?

IndyCar championship is one of the most iconic, thrilling motorsports racing championships in the United States of America. It is endowed with some of the best legendary drivers, brilliant technical advancements and a wide spectrum of maroon memories. The sowing seeds of the race date back to the 1990s with the debut of the Indianapolis 500, which itself is one the most revered motorsports events in the world.

Over the decades, the Indianapolis 500 rejuvenated and evolved into what is flamboyantly known as the NTT IndyCar Series. The IndyCar series itself consists of a series of race events, consisting of drivers on wheels who grab points throughout the season of the series. The driver with the maximum points carries immense respect among the motorsports community and is throned as the champion. The 2024 IndyCar series crowned Alex Palou as its champion, racing for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Indycar Points System

IndyCar championships consist of a series of races which provide the drivers with points throughout the series. The finishing position of each driver provides them with the required points. The top 22 race finishers in each race gain points, with the points breakdown as follows:-

Here’s the points distribution in table form:

Position	Points
1st	50
2nd	40
3rd	35
4th	32
5th	30
6th	28
7th	26
8th	24
9th	22
10th	20
11th	19
12th	18
13th	17
14th	16
15th	15
16th	14
17th	13
18th	12
19th	11
20th	10
21st	9
22nd	8

The 23rd and 24th racers receive 7 and 6 points respectively. After that, 5 points are awarded to the remaining 9 racers who finish the race.

In addition to this, the drivers receive bonus points. The drivers gain pole position points who start the race from the 1st place on the grid. On leading laps during the race, the leader driver gains a maximum of 2 points during the race. One who finishes the lap in the least time gains the fastest lap points. For the Indy 500 race during the series, an additional race win of 50 points and 1 pole position points are gained by the drivers as bonus points.

Entrant and Driver Points

There are separate rules for the eligible entrants and the points system for the drivers in case of a substitution. The points to any entrant will only be awarded if the entrant holds a valid racing license and a legal, registered car for the race with the car number assigned to it displayed throughout the race. IndyCar also allows for relief drivers and thus, if the starting driver receives a relief during the race he will receive the points instead of the relief driver. In case, a car qualifies for the race but is unable to participate the entrant will receive half of the points they would be awarded in case the car had started the race.

How does IndyCar decide results in case of a tie?

In the case of the champion or in a tie for any driver standings in the championship, the tiebreaker is decided based on how many races each driver has won. If there is still a tie, the number of second places finishes, and third-place finishes become the deciding factor. This goes on until the champion or the final standings are decided.

Also Read: Who has the most IndyCar Championships?