How does NASCAR's championship and playoff points work?

Motorsport photoIf you're a new fan, NASCAR's championship format may be overwhelming. Unlike Formula 1, IndyCar and so many other forms of racing, it is not as simple as one driver amassing the most points throughout the year. That sort of traditional season-long format was abandoned by NASCAR ahead of the 2004 season.Since then, the championship format has changed quite a bit. It went from a ten-driver Chase for Cup to 12 drivers with 'win and you're in' added' before expanding to 16 drivers a