The Countdown to the Championship breaks the 24-event POWERade Series season up into two distinct sections: the 18-race Countdown to 10 and the six-race Countdown to 1. After the first 18 races, only the top 10 drivers advance into the final segment of the "playoffs," and their points are reset to within 10 of one another with the exception of the points leader, who will have a 30-point advantage over second place. The 10 drivers will then compete for POWERade Championships at the season's final six races.