Points help

Could somebody please help me understand how the points system works in NASCAR. It's like some foreign language or the BCS system. I don't understand how somebody who hasn't won a race in a season can be inside the chase while somebody who has won is looking in. Example of this is Dale Jr. I'm a big fan of his but he hasn't done much and is projected to be in. I understand they get points from top ten and laps lead but how does it all figure in the totals?

Its mostly consistency, it is very different than football where wins and losses are the determining factor in rank. If a driver finishes 4th for 10 races and another driver finishes with 2 wins and 2 10th places and 6 8th place finishes, the driver with the 10 5th place finishes will be higher in points because he has the highest average finish. Therefore he has the highest average points per race.

I hope that makes sense.

Yeah, thanks