The 2025 season marks the first year in NASCAR history that a fastest lap has points on the line.
The Xfinity Fastest Lap initiative awards one point to the driver that runs the fastest single lap of a race, and that bonus increases the maximum points a driver can earn in one race to 61 (71 for the Coca-Cola 600). And as we saw last November, every point a driver can earn will come in handy during the playoffs.
An interesting tidbit to track as the season goes on will be how often the driver with the fastest lap ends up winning the race. Through the Cup Series race at Talladega on April 27, there have been 28 races run across NASCAR’s top three series in 2025. Only three drivers who earned the bonus point also took the checkered flag: Denny Hamlin in the Cup Series race at Martinsville, Justin Allgaier in the Xfinity race at Homestead and Kyle Larson in the Xfinity race at Bristol. Jesse Love initially had the fastest lap in the Xfinity race at Rockingham, but the bonus point went to Ryan Sieg after Love’s disqualification.
Below is a chart of the drivers that earned the bonus point (as well as the speed they ran) in every Cup, Xfinity and Craftsman Truck Series race run this year. The chart will be updated weekly as more races are completed.
Stephen Stumpf is the NASCAR Content Director for Frontstretch and is a three-year veteran of the site. His weekly column is “Stat Sheet,” and he formerly wrote "4 Burning Questions" for three years. He also writes commentaries, contributes to podcasts, edits articles and is frequently at the track for on-site coverage.
Find Stephen on Twitter @stephen_stumpf