The NASCAR cup championship playoffs are comprised of a total of nine races and a season finale. These are elimination rounds divided into four heats, each one is comprised of three races, except the final which is a straight-up race to the title. The first heat starts with the sixteen drivers based on their success in the regular season. But to level the playing field, their regular season points will all be reset to 2000. In this regard, If a driver has accumulated 50 playoff points over the previous 26 seasons, they will start the playoffs with 2050 points. Drivers are eliminated in groups of four at the end of each heat. Those who advance are the race winners and those who accrue the most points. Points are accrued in the same manner as in the regular season races, and the races are still run in three stages. For the start of the second heat, the remaining twelve drivers will then have their regular points reset to 3000, plus all the playoff points earned. The points are reset to 4000, plus all playoff points for the eight remaining drivers in heat three. The final is winner-takes-all. Pure and simple.