The NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series Drivers' Championship is awarded by the chairman in NASCAR to the most successful O'Reilly Series racing car driver over a season, as determined by a points system based on race results. The Drivers' Championship was first awarded in 1982, to Jack Ingram. The first driver to win multiple Championships was Sam Ard in 1983 and 1984. The current Drivers' Champion is Jesse Love, who won his first series championship in 2025.
From 2017 to 2025, the championship was decided using a playoff format. 12 drivers qualified for the playoffs; race winners were automatically locked in and the remainder is set by the highest non-winners in the points standings. Drivers accumulated points that carried into the playoffs by winning a stage or the race itself (1 playoff point for a stage win, 5 playoff points for a race win). After qualifying, drivers had their points reset to a significantly higher total than non-playoff drivers, with bonus points added appropriately for stage and race wins. This method was also used for eliminating drivers who qualified for the playoffs but did not advance into the next round. The playoffs cut off the lowest four non-winners in the points standings after there races; this process was repeated with the remaining drivers for the Round of 8, leaving four drivers still eligible to win the championship that season. Following the Round of 8, all previously accumulated playoff points are reset, leaving the "Championship 4" drivers all with an equal opportunity to win the championship in the one-race final round where stage points did not count in the final race. The highest-finishing driver out of the Championship 4 was then declared the champion.
Overall, 35 different drivers have won the championship, with Sam Ard, Jack Ingram, Larry Pearson, Randy LaJoie, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Martin Truex Jr., Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Tyler Reddick holding the record for most titles, at two. Ard, Pearson, LaJoie, Earnhardt Jr., Truex Jr., Stenhouse Jr., and Reddick all have the record for most consecutive Drivers' Championships, with two consecutive championships. Chase Elliott is the youngest Xfinity Series champion; he was 18 years, 11 months, and 11 days old when he won the 2014 title.[1]Jack Ingram is the oldest series champion; he was 48 years, 9 months, and 29 days when he won the championship in 1985.[2]
