This is a list of points scoring systems used to determine the outcome of American open-wheel car racing (often referred to colloquially as Indy car racing) championships in 1905, 1916, and from 1920 onwards. The championships were awarded each year to the driver who accumulated the most championship points during the course of the season.

Inaugural points scoring system

AAA Championship 1905

Barney Oldfield was the points champion of the inaugural American Automobile Association (AAA) sanctioned season in 1905, organized by the AAA Racing Board. Following the 1905 season, the AAA sanctioned no further races until 1909, by which time the Racing Board had been reorganized by the AAA into the Contest Board. Despite the resumption of sanctioned racing, the Contest Board did not award points towards a championship again until 1916.

Mileage based points scoring systems

AAA Championship 1916

Dario Resta was the champion of the 1916 season, during which the Contest Board awarded championship points to the first ten drivers in each race. There were only points for ranks in races, no bonus points. The points system was based in general on race distance but not on mileage factor. Drivers had to be running at the finish in order to score points. Points were moved to the next eligible driver if a finisher completed fewer laps than a non-finisher. Points scored by drivers sharing a car were split according to the respective percentage of the race those drivers had driven. Drivers who started a race were not allowed to score points as relief drivers; a race-starter finishing a race driving a different car from that in which they had started would accumulate no points, even if they had driven the latter car to what would normally have been a points-paying finish. While the Contest Board continued sanctioning Championship car races after 1916, they did not award points towards another championship until 1920.

Race distance1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th100 miles500260140805030151000150 miles600320170905535201500200 miles70036019010060402520100250 miles800420220120704530251510300 miles900470240130805040302520350 miles or higher1000520270140906050403025

AAA Championships 1920–1929

From 1920 through 1929, championship points were awarded to the first ten drivers. There were only points for ranks in races, no bonus points. The points system was based on mileage factor. The winner received 2 points per mile. Drivers had to be running at the finish to score points. Points scored by drivers sharing a ride were split according to percentage of race driven. Starters were not allowed to score points as relief drivers (except 1920), if a race starter finished the race in another car in a points-scoring position those points were not awarded.

Race distance1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th40 miles80452515100000050 miles100553020105000060 miles120653525150000080 miles1608045302000000100 miles2001106035201510500150 miles30016090503020151000200 miles400210110604025151000250 miles5002601408050352515105300 miles600420220120704535251510400 miles800420220120704535251510500 miles1000520270140906050403530

AAA Championships 1930–1936 Between 1930 and 1936, the Championship points were awarded to the first ten drivers. There were only points for ranks in races, no bonus points. The points system was based on mileage factor. The winner receive 1.2 points per mile. The points gaps between the ranks were also changed from a relatively arbitrary scheme to a uniform allocation. Drivers had to be running at the finish to score points. Points scored by drivers sharing a ride were split according to percentage of race driven. Starters were not allowed to score points as relief drivers, if a race starter finished the race in another car in a points-scoring position those points were not awarded.

Race distance1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th25 miles3022.52017.51512.5107.552.5100 miles120908070605040302010150 miles180135120105907560453015200 miles24018016014012010080604020300 miles360270240210180150120906030500 miles60045040035030025020015010050

AAA Championships 1937–1941 Between 1937 and 1941, the Championship points were awarded to the first twelve drivers. There were only points for ranks in races, no bonus points. The points system was based on mileage factor. The winner received 2 points per mile. Drivers had to complete 50% of the race distance to score points. Points scored by drivers sharing a ride were split according to percentage of race driven. Starters were not allowed to score points as relief drivers, if a race starter finished the race in another car in a points-scoring position those points were not awarded.

Race distance1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th100 miles2001651351109075655545352515300 miles6004954053302702251951651351057545500 miles100082567555045037532527522517512575

AAA Championships 1946–1955 and USAC Championships 1956–1977 Between 1946 and 1977, AAA and USAC awarded the Championship points to the first twelve drivers. There were only points for ranks in races, no bonus points. The points system was based on mileage factor. The winner received 2 points per mile. This is the most common points system in IndyCar, used over 3 decades of racing. Points scored by drivers sharing a ride were split according to percentage of race driven. Drivers who started in one car were allowed to score points in another as a relief driver.

Race distance1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th50 miles100807060504030252015105100 miles20016014012010080605040302010150 miles300240210180150120907560453015200 miles40032028024020016012010080604020250 miles500400350300250200150125100755025300 miles600480420360300240180150120906030400 miles8006405604804003202402001601208040500 miles100080070060050040030025020015010050

USAC/CART Championships 1978–1980 One year before the split with CART, USAC extended their points scoring system to award points to all race entrants. CART continued to use this modified USAC points scoring system in the following seasons (1979 and 1980). There were only points for ranks in races, no bonus points. The points system was based on a mileage factor, the winner receiving 2 points per mile. Points scored by drivers sharing a ride were split according to percentage of race driven. Drivers who started in one car were allowed to score points in another as a relief driver.

Race distance1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th–16th17th–20th21st–24th25th–28th29th+100 miles2001601401201008060504030201054321150 miles30024021018015012090756045301586532200 miles40032028024020016012010080604020108642250 miles5004003503002502001501251007550251210853300 miles6004804203603002401801501209060301512963400 miles800640560480400320240200160120804020161284500 miles100080070060050040030025020015010050252015105

USAC Gold Crown Championship 1981–1995 After the split with CART, USAC continued to use their points system to award championship points for their "Gold Crown Championship". They used the 200-mile points scheme for 100-mile dirt track races and the 500-mile points scheme for the Indianapolis 500.

Type of race1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th–16th17th–20th21st–24th25th–28th29th+Dirt track40032028024020016012010080604020108642Indy 500100080070060050040030025020015010050252015105

CART Championships 1981 and 1982 For the 1981 and 1982 seasons CART continued to use the USAC points scoring system, but they divided the points values by 10, so the winner received only 0.2 points per mile. For the first time, there were bonus points. The driver with the fastest qualifying lap, usually on pole position, and the driver with the most laps led received bonus points in addition to their finishing order points. Bonus points multiplied by a mileage factor the same as the race points. In 1982, CART awarded 300 mile points for 300-, 400-, and 500-mile races.

Race distance1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th–20thMost laps ledPole position100 miles2016141210865432111200 miles4032282420161210864222300 miles60484236302418151296333400 miles806456484032242016128444500 miles10080706050403025201510555

Equal points per race

Ranking points

Beginning with the 1983 season, CART used their own scoring system. As previously, only the first twelve drivers finishing each race were awarded points. All races got the same number of points, based on the 100 mile points scheme from USAC with the points values divided by 10. Championship1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12thCART 1983–200320161412108654321 After CART had been replaced in 2004 by the Champ Car World Series, a new points system was also introduced. The first 20 drivers finishing each race were awarded points. The points scoring system is similar to the original CART points scoring system. Championship1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20thCCWS 2004–20073127252321191715131110987654321

Although the Indy Racing League commissioned USAC to perform the races, the old USAC points system was not reused. Instead, IRL used its own simple points scoring system for all races, regardless of the distance. The first 33 drivers finishing the race were awarded points, starting with 2 points for position 33. Between the winner and second place was a 2-point gap, between all other ranks a 1-point gap. In the 1996 season, there was a multiplier for awarding points in the second (Phoenix) and third (Indianapolis) races of the season. Drivers were credited with overall points multiplied by the number of races they had competed in. For example, Scott Sharp had scored a sum of 82 points in the first three race, so he was awarded 246 championship points (82 multiplied by 3) at the end of the season. In the 1997 season, there wasn't a multiplier, but an additional point was awarded for positions 34 and 35 because of the extended Indy 500 entry list.

Championship1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd23rd24th25th26th27th28th29th30th31st32nd33rd34th35thIRL 1996–1997353332313029282726252423222120191817161514131211109876543211

After taking over the driving operation from USAC in 1998, IRL also changed its points system. All participants of a race were eligible for championship points, even non-starters received points starting in 1999. The points scoring system applied to all races, regardless of race length or importance. In 2004, IRL modified their points scoring system again. Positions from 18 to 24 received the same number of 12 points instead of a decreasing score, where positions 25 to 33 received 10 points. This was a consequence of the introduction of shorter twin races, in which only half the number of points was awarded and the point structure ws easier to divide by 2 eliminating 0.5 points. Non-starters received full race points in 2004 and 2005, and half race points beginning with 2006. In 2013, the ICS modified the points awarded to positions 19–25. It essentially corresponds to the decreasing points scheme of 2003, but with 5 points for all ranks beginning with 25th position. This system is still in use as of 2025.

Championship1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th21st22nd23rd24th25th26th27th28th29th30th31st32nd33rdIRL 1998–200350403532302826242220191817161514131211109876543211111ICS 2004–2012504035323028262422201918171615141312121212121212101010101010101010ICS 2013–present50403532302826242220191817161514131211109876555555555

Bonus points

ChampionshipLeading a lapMost laps ledFastest race lapMost positions improvedLeading slowest qualifying groupFinal qualificationPole PositionCART 1983–2001010001CART 2002–2003010011CCWS 2004–2006101111CCWS 2007001111IRL 1997010002IRL 1998–200002000321IRL 2001–2003020000ICS 2004–2008030000ICS 2009–2012020001ICS 2013–present120001

Special Events Indy qualifying and other qualifying races