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 Craftsman Truck Series race at North Wilkesboro on May 17, there have been 42 races run across NASCAR’s top three series in 2025.
Of the 42 race winners, only eight of them went on to earn the fastest lap bonus point. Four of the eight winners scored the maximum 61 points (race win, two stage wins & the fastest lap): Kyle Larson in the Cup race at Kansas, Larson in the Xfinity race at Bristol, Justin Allgaier in the Xfinity race at Nashville and Corey Heim in the Truck race at Charlotte.
Larson at Kansas became the first driver to score the maximum 61 points, with the fastest lap, two stages wins and a race win.
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