Explained: What's on offer for winner of Repco Sprint Cup

There are two rounds left in the fight for the Repco Sprint Cup, and Broc Feeney is in the box seat. So, what does it all mean for the bigger picture?

The journey to the championship is new in 2025. Naturally, some voiced their opinions about the new format, some arguably unfairly, given it hasn't even played out yet.

One of the most consistent threads of discussion is that the new format doesn't reward consistency for the entire season. Bonus points still reward year-long performance, so that doesn't stand up.

Crucially, drivers and teams need to stand up when it counts, rather than kick back should they clinch the championship with races (or rounds) to spare.

We've laid out some burning questions for Townsville and Ipswich, where the Sprint Cup battle will boil down to six races at two vastly different tracks. We've also made cases for and against the six drivers remaining in mathematical contention, and how it can go down to the wire.

So, where does the Sprint Cup sit in all this? Supercars.com explains.

What is the Sprint Cup?

The Repco Sprint Cup will be awarded to the top-performing driver over the first eight rounds, with that driver gaining automatic entry into the Finals.

Simply, it's like the minor premiership in NRL or AFL: the winner is acknowledged for their results in the regular season, and given an leg-up heading into the Finals.

In footy, you get a second chance should you lose in the first week of the Finals. In Supercars, winning the Sprint Cup wins you bonus points to play with at the first round of the Finals.

Bonus points

Bonuses are handed to the Sprint Cup and Endurance Cup winners for the start of the Finals on the Gold Coast, and they are significant.

The winner of the Sprint Cup banks 25 bonus points for the Gold Coast. All 10 Finals drivers start on 3000, and are awarded bonuses based on the post-Bathurst championship standings.

First place in the standings banks 150 bonus points, down to 21 for 10th place. Before adding Sprint Cup and Enduro Cup bonus points, that puts 129 points between first and 10th.

For all the fears about a driver in 10th pulling off a Hail Mary to win the championship, bonus points are the clearest reflection of rewarding those who perform in the 10 rounds before the Finals.

If everyone started on the same points, then maybe, those fears would be real. But drivers are rewarded for performance, and rightly given a safety net of sorts.

If you don't perform on the day, just like footy, then you perhaps don't deserve to go through. Bonus points have been earned, but there's every chance you can throw that advantage away.

It's also unlike NASCAR, where if you win in the regular season, you clinch a Playoffs spot. Take Shane van Gisbergen, who is effective fourth in NASCAR's playoffs standings, despite being 27th on points. Here, Supercars rewards overall performance.

So, performing in, and winning the Sprint Cup matters

Automatic entry into the Finals is the obvious leg-up, same for the Enduro Cup winner. You've performed when it mattered, and you're rewarded justly.

Performing in the Sprint Cup is crucial for drivers chasing a Finals berth. Given the risks associated with the 300-point enduro races, drivers will be more determined than ever to make the opening rounds count.

Feeney has done that better than most, and has deservedly earned his position as Sprint Cup champion-elect. He has a 183-point lead to protect across the next two rounds, and if he closes the deal, he's off to the Finals.

However, that doesn't mean you can cruise in the Enduro Cup

Win the Sprint Cup, and you're in the Finals. However, you want as many bonus points as possible, so you can't cruise in the enduros (not that any driver would anyway. Come on, it's Bathurst).

The gap from Feeney to 10th-placed Anton De Pasquale is currently 714 points. If that gap is 601 or more points after Ipswich, then Feeney is mathematically a provisional Finals driver anyway.

However, as explained earlier, winning bonus points is a big advantage. Win the Sprint Cup, you get 25. Win the Enduro Cup, you get 25. You could have as many as 50 bonus points heading into the Finals before the championship bonus points are applied.

In a perfect world, you win the Sprint Cup and the Enduro Cup, and you have a total of 200 bonus points. You start the Gold Coast on 3200 points, and second is on 3120 points. That's an 80-point head start before we go racing!

Perform in Finals, and you're in the fight

Ultimately, after early rounds of apprehension, drivers are talking about the Finals. It's real, and they know it.

Sport thrives off rivalry and tension, and there's no greater sporting spectacle when there's a lot at stake. No one wants dead rubbers, and while drivers clinching championships early is always deserved, the final-day spectacle isn't the same.

Say what you want about how we got to a decider in State of Origin on Wednesday, but the unknown of the overall outcome makes you really feel something. That's pretty cool.

Drivers still progress through the Finals rounds either based on the points standings or winning a race. Win on Saturday and/or Sunday at Gold Coast and/or Sandown, and you go through. You earned that right to progress.

It stems back to how you went in the Sprint Cup and, later, the Enduros. We don't simply start from zero on the Gold Coast; we've had eight Sprint Cup rounds and two Enduro Cup rounds to paint the picture. From there, if you've earned your place, get after it.

Finals top 10 for Gold Coast

Not including Sprint Cup or Enduro Cup bonus points

1st to 10th ranked by decreasing bonus of 150, 120, 96, 78, 66, 57, 48, 39, 30, 21