Fans no longer will need a calculator every time they want to know who is leading the race for Sunoco Rookie of the Year.
NASCAR announced Thursday that it has revised the points system for the RoY award across all three national series in an attempt to make it less confusing.
Following the system used to determine the championship, rookies now will be given 40 points for a win, 35 points for a second-place finish and 34 for third, with each subsequent finisher receiving one point less than the driver ahead of them. Stage wins will pay out 10 points and one playoff point.
“The focus on our rising stars has never been stronger and simplifying the Sunoco Rookie of the Year system made perfect sense,” Jim Cassidy, NASCAR’s vice president of racing operations, said in a statement. “Our fans track closely the progress of our young drivers and matching the Sunoco Rookie of the Year points structure with the championship points will help them follow this prestigious program and award more closely than ever before.”
The new structure should help Dale Earnhardt Jr. convince people to continue watching the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, as he thinks the young drivers coming into the sport will be worth watching.
