New NASCAR 2017 points rules explained in one video

Confused by the new points system for the 2017 NASCAR season? Fox Sports explains it all in 70 seconds.

Change can be a good thing. NASCAR is certainly hoping that’s true with its new points system for the 2017 season in all three major national touring series, one that will hopefully create tighter racing before the closing laps.

The key to the new system is the introduction of stages, with the top 10 drivers claiming points at the end of each stage — plus the stage winner earning a point that will carry over to the playoffs should they make it that far.

If your eyes are already swimming around in your head from simply reading this introduction, no worries. Fox Sports put together a short video that aired during its coverage of the 2017 Daytona 500 to break things down in illustrated fashion.

Someone might want to check that guy with the pen for carpal tunnel because that’s a lot of drawing. Jokes aside, the video highlights one of the perhaps underrated parts of the new points system, which is the bonus playoff point for the stage winner.

Will that be enough to make drivers race harder for the spiffy new green and white checkered flag that signifies the end of a stage? That remains to be seen. Drivers like Joey Logano have voiced their support of rewarding people for staying up front, but it still becomes a risk-reward calculation when it comes to pushing things hard a third of the way through a 500-mile race.

Next: A look at the 2017 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams and drivers

it’s also important to remember that the XFINITY Series and Camping World Truck Series are using the same system, so if it sticks around, drivers coming up through the ranks will understand it when they arrive in the top series. That’s a plus, and this video definitely is as well.