why did nascar implement stages
That decision was no doubt aided by a thrilling NASCAR Xfinity Series race that took place on the road course last season as a sort of test for what was to come. Drivers who reel off multiple victories during the season enter the playoffs on much better footing than drivers who point their way into the playoffs with no victories. The shorter portions of races create different race day strategies that tend to make for a more explosive and action-packed race. Are NASCAR cars all the same? Stages help the most in preventing breakaway leaders in the first few laps of the race. DISTANCE: The race is 400 laps (400 miles) on the 1-mile track. Where the Term Came From NASCAR: Dover Cup race not being broadcast on Fox. Knowing when the caution comes out allows teams to choose between finishing well in a stage or possibly putting themselves in a better position to win the race. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Fortunately for the sport, a lot of younger fans seem to dig into the Saturday night dirt heat feel of the race stages, and aren't turned off by it. Your login session has expired. C'mon, admit it. It also encourages a mix in the field of drivers on different pitting and tire strategies, which should lead to more passing and action. Some still wonder, wanting to see how it plays out with stage winners earning one playoff point and race winners earning five. The reasons NASCAR implemented stage racing is myriad, as outlined in the info that follows. How NASCAR Stages Work. The NASCAR racing stages are very easy to understand once you know how it works. FORECAST: Weather Underground Mostly cloudy with a high of 59 degrees and no chance of rain at the start of the race. When the mid-point of the race is stopped for a stage change, instead of being the highest speed passing portion, some fans may be a little put-off. Now we have a 30 year legacy with the knee-jerk restrictor plate. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. I think the fans would ultimately lose.". This website uses cookies to improve your experience. ET Monday. By having 2 designated caution periods, broadcast networks can burn 2 full-screen commercial periods per stage break: 1 right after the stage ends and 1 after pit stops are completed before the race resumes under green. A crew chief may decide a guaranteed 9 or 10 points after stage 1 is worth the unknown that comes with racing in the back of the pack later. To determine stage length, NASCAR usually splits the first 60 percent of the race between the first two stages. The only NASCAR races without stages are 2 non-points races, the Duels at Daytona, and the Busch Light Clash. To ensure ad space buyers and fans of fixed commercial spots that guarantee interruption-free green flag racing. It seems to be something (Chatain) does a lot recently. Each of the stages starts and ends with a checked green/white flag, not the traditional end of the race checkerboard. Often winners of stages and winners of the overall race are not the same, which also creates more action for sports betting, a very lucrative attraction NASCAR offers. These stages act as 2 mini-races and one half-duration race instead of one high-mileage event. This is a key decision-making phase in implementation. Advancing teams carry their playoff points all the way through to the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway in November. The two events, the Busch Light Clash and the Duels at Daytona, are the only races in NASCAR that do not have stages. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The caution laps counting seems kind of right but so wrong. STAGE POINTS: Drivers finishing first through 10th in both Stage 1 and Stage 2 (and Stage 3 in the Coca-Cola 600) earn bonus points. Common critiques of stage racing from these fans usually revolve around the idea that stage racing is gimmicky. The first two are about a quarter distance in length each, with the final stage making up over half the race. This creates more drama and crashes while preventing breakaway victories. Stages in NASCAR explained First adopted in 2017, stages in NASCAR effectively break the race up into three mini-races. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. That's why less people are watching. There was no doubt that the stages changed how people raced and how crew chiefs approached the season-opener, but I don't think we can blame the stages for the unusual amount of carnage, which. The move comes in. A crew chief can determine that after stage 1, a guaranteed 9 or 10 points outweighs the uncertainty of racing later in the pack. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The last stage is always the longest distance of the entire race, and usually involves a pitstop as well. Dillon was instrumental in convincing his grandfather, team owner Richard Childress, to bring Busch into the fold at RCR. Those playoff points (including those earned in the playoffs) carry over to each reset playoff round, except for the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. This, in the end, brings in more money for the drivers, the teams, and the racetracks. NASCAR, traditionally an endurance sport, relies on racers staying focused and alive for 3+ hours while sitting in a 140-degree F cockpit and hurtling along a trick at 200 MPH. Then-NASCAR CEO Brian France addressed the media upon announcing stage racings implementation and was confident the leadership group made the correct decision. They want it to matter. On Lap 81, Chastain bumped the rear of Pooles car, sending Poole up the track and into the outside wall. In its press release, NASCAR termed stage racing competition format enhancements. NASCAR hopes viewers will be more engaged in watching miniature races within the framework of a traditional race. 'I belong here': R. Truex wins first NASCAR race, Hendrick to drivers after injuries: Take it easy, Bowman out at least 3 races after sprint car crash, Busch barely makes finish in OT win at Talladega, Burton wins Xfinity Series crash-fest at Talladega, Hamlin claims first superspeedway pole at Dega, Harvick was once NASCAR's punk kid. Each Cup race with the exception of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (with four) has three stages.2022-02-20. Bobby Allison flipped into the fence in 1987 and nascar flipped its shit. The 2022 event was raced on a short track created inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. I dont know. It rewards those who are fast at the beginning of the race. And certainly a group of fans would shake their heads in disgust. Most NASCAR races are broken down into three stages. Stage racing also creates more restarts, sometimes the most action-filled laps of a NASCAR race at certain tracks. Stages break the race up and give drivers new ways to strategize using pitstops and other racing necessities to gain more points and do better in each stage. NASCAR has come to accept a lot of artificial excitement into their product, and stage racing is a result of that. Do fans, especially those watching on television, like these breaks as real breaks when talking about events that often last more than three hours? Would love your thoughts, please comment. I mean, just a joke 80-something laps into a race? Stages are currently present in all NASCAR point races. Along the way, some yellow or red flags may follow, but essentially the race was one long event with no scheduled stoppages, aside from pit-stops. This creates a higher sense of urgency, forcing drivers to fight hard for every position much earlier in a race than what used to occur prior to stage racing implementation. At the stage break, those who had yet to pit would do so, allowing those who stopped before the break to leapfrog back to the front. ET Monday. Teams now occasionally risk with their pit strategy to increase stage points. This changed in 2017, the same year NASCAR significantly overhauled its race format to implement stages. But while stage racing likely isnt going anywhere following its first three seasons in the sport, you really have to wonder why its here, what purpose it serves, and above all, whether or not NASCAR should just do away with it. NASCAR awards a playoff point to the stage winner along with 10 points. Only the final stage is ended with the traditional chequered flag, as that is the end of the race. It usually takes about 40 to 50 percent of the whole races duration, making it nearly invariably the longest stage. But some drivers say it makes superspeedways even more dangerous; lets look at why NASCAR started stage racing and what the stage racing format is. How do they work in Cup Series races, and why did NASCAR opt to bring them in in the first place? The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Stages also replace pit stops and give drivers a break they would never have been able to take during the old races. These points add up to positions and advantages in playoff races and continue to accumulate through the first stages of the championship race. While this is nice for fans that like a little of this kind of action, it is contrary to the intended goal of keeping drivers from crashing through NASCAR official policies. Cars would pit when they could, hoping to get a caution so they could come in and get some fuel and new tires. While the new points system that accompanies the new race format will come more into focus once the playoffs start, every week there is talk about how stages will play into that weekend's event. As the season continues, this is especially true for teams vying for postseason spots since they know that every point counts. The closer the pack is together, and the more incentives they have to go for the lead, the better the entertainment will be for all the fans. And current drivers seem to have quickly grown accustomed to stage racing and accepted it. As NASCAR viewership moves to a larger digital spectatorship when compared to trackside fans, the race format has needed to adapt as well. #DAYTONA500 pic.twitter.com/N7xf3dX6FD. However, nothing public has been floated surrounding any imminent stage changes. Dover Cup Series race rained out, moved to Mon. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. The longest stage of the race is always the final one. The reason these points were so valuable is that they are tallied up at the end of a race and decide how many points each driver walks away with. The breaks abounded for 4.8 percent of the race. Fans get more action, and televised events fit commercials in better than interrupting green flag racing. His "Garage Mahal" in Mooresville, NC, was a . First adopted in 2017, stages in NASCAR effectively break the race up into three mini-races. The top 10 finishers in each stage also earn regular-season points, which is important because at the end of the regular season, drivers ranked 1 to 10 in overall regular-season points earn additional playoff points on a 15-10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale. Fans. The average number of cautions per race (9.1) is well ahead of the first 18 races last year (7.5) but not a ton more than in 2015 (8.4). Stage 2 consists of roughly the second quarter, and Stage 3 makes up the remaining second half. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. According to The Times, Constellation Automotive is purchasing the decommissioned racing track Midlands racing track, which was Europe's quickest banked oval racing circuit, for 80m. This content is imported from YouTube. All advice, including picks and predictions, is based on individual commentators opinions and not that of Minute Media or its related brands. ASA * Requires a second dash bar in the car's centersection. I was side-by-side with (. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. Contrary to Dewars proclamation, not all fans enjoyed the new stage racing format. Translation: the drivers are paying for the pleasure of racing. But NASCAR is, first and foremost, an entertainment entity and recent history has shown its decisions will most often reflect that reality. At Phoenix Raceway, the stage breaks lasted for 12 laps, equating to .26 hours or 15.6 minutes. Some love it, some hate it, but all agree stages are here to stay. Rewarding guys who hit the wall early or make some other silly error but decide not to pit at the end of the stage with more points than anybody else in the field in the stage is just flat-out ridiculous. NASCAR is settling with people in the crowd who sustain life altering injuries like it's nothing. Not all NASCAR races have the same number of stages. Now, you may wonder how stages increase the excitement of racing. NASCAR instituted stage breaks and stage points for the 2017 season and has kept the system in place since. Larson returned to the track after repairs. That's why less people are buying tickets. Additionally, stage winners each receive one playoff point, which is a point that is added to their point totals after the points/standings resets take place at the beginning of the round of 16, the round of 12 and the round of 8 of the playoffs. By doing this, they will often trade worse track positions on the next restart to try banking stage points on the front end. 1? Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onAll Racing and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. The stage winner is awarded 10 points, the second-highest driver earns 9 points, down to the 10th-place finisher, who earns one additional bonus point. The top-10 drivers in the first and second stages will qualify for these extra points. The Weather Underground forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 60 degrees. The Cup garage will open at 9 a.m. The weather is better for Cup drivers to race Monday at Dover Motor Speedway after rain postponed the event Sunday. Instead of a long 100 or more lap race that requires endurance and only slows down for yellow flag laps and or caution flags, NASCAR decided to add 2 more stages to each race. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". While there are plenty of logical and lucrative reasons to implement seasons of stage racing, not everyone is completely sold on it. The soul of NASCAR was a bunch of drivers go toe-to-toe and laying it all on the line for one specific reason to win the race. 30% for Stage 1 would be 110 laps, so it would be 110, 110 and 147, which makes Stage 3 pretty short relative to Stage 1 and Stage 2. If a driver is pegged back every 65 laps or so - as is the case at the. If there was a wild wreck or two, it was even better. The top 10 finishers in each stage receive points on a 10-1 scale in the NASCAR points standings. Because the sport intended to improve the broadcast product by introducing greater urgency during the middle sections of a race, all NASCAR races in the three major series feature stages. Stage 01. With that said, however, he also finished first in both Stages 1 and 2, netting him 20 extra points. The total number of laps in the race remains mostly unchanged but how races progress through these laps changes drastically. Now he's molding its future, Sports leagues unite to set limits on betting ads, Kaulig Racing has points restored by NASCAR, Larson races past Logano to win at Martinsville, Nemechek holds off Smith for 2nd Xfinity win, Preece claims pole at Martinsville; Elliott 24th, Elliott vows to keep snowboarding after accident, NASCAR star Elliott set to return at Martinsville, Zane Smith to drive in place of suspended Ware, NASCAR's Ware arrested on assault charges, Dirt-racing star Bell tops Reddick to win Bristol, Bowman, Byron penalized for postrace violations, Hamlin's penalties for hit on Chastain upheld, Team owners' feud with NASCAR gives fans excuse to tune out -- again, Owners skip NASCAR meeting over revenue talks, Jones replaces Kenseth in JGR's No. TV/RADIO: Qualifying coverage on CNBC begins at 11 a.m. Pre-race . The Xfinity and Truck Series stage layouts are similar to those for the Cup Series. Those who do not make the cut are left to prepare for the next racing season. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Typically only the winner of the racing venues gets playoff points and is the singular winner of the event. link to Is NASCAR Racing Profitable for Teams? This means selecting, designing and developing the intervention to be implemented. NASCAR doesn't have pit crews for the race at Bristol. The second stage also makes up 25 to 30 percent of the race. The final stage goes off the points listed above. This event marks the first NASCAR Cup Series race on the dirt since 1970. In that 2015 season, the average number of caution laps through 18 races was 47.1 -- two more than the average this year (45.1). Sometimes stages work out as a 40/60 split, with 30% each for the first and second stages and the remaining 40% representing the final and longest stage. The more heated the race was, the better it was for all the racing fans. Racing throughout the years has been exciting and entertaining, but as the technology in the cars improved and the drivers became better, the close racing of the past was lost in the smoke. Still, due to circumstances beyond either of their control, way back when, the Cup series left the city. I think he was actually better than me at the Bristol dirt race and had a better long run car than I did. Because the sport intended to improve the broadcast product by introducing greater urgency during the middle sections of a race, all NASCAR races in the three major series feature stages. Why did NASCAR implement stage racing? NASCAR has faced questions from fans and competitors about stage breaks during road course races because those breaks alter strategy in a more defined manner than on most ovals. Answers to the 8 Most Interesting NASCAR Questions. All Cup races have stages now, and every Cup race has at least 3 stages. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. I thought Austin did an awesome job with what we had at Martinsville, running 12th there, that was good. NASCAR is heading to the dirt track on March 27-28, 2021. and then runs 40 percent of the race in the final stage. Playoff points are NASCARs version of home-field advantage seen in other sports: they are a way to reward regular season success in the playoffs. By placing in the top 10 at the end of the first and second stages of a race, drivers may now earn additional points. The formula for NASCAR has been pretty simple in terms of race format. As soon as he ran into me, I just kind of got shoved into the corner, like way too deep, and then I was just immediately turned around. Stage 3 is made up of whatever miles are left over after the initial two stages, which is typically about half of the race. No matter which side you fall on, it seems like stage racing is here to stay. AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 10: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, leads a pack of cars during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bluegreen Vacations 500 at ISM Raceway on November 10, 2019 in Avondale, Arizona. The winner of Stage 2 will start second for the final stage provided that driver finishes 15th or better in Stage 3, and the Stage 3 winner will start third in the final stage. Often a couple of racers can gain an intimidating lead that, unless crashes or car trouble occurs, will be maintained all three hours. Die-hard track-attending fans are not happy with stage racing implementation since they dont benefit from the onscreen advantages television spectators gain. Playoff points are also distributed to the top-10 finishers in the regular season standings on a sliding scale. (Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte, which has an extra stage) These stages are not equal in length in miles and are divided based on the total length of the track and the mile goal of the event. These points are different from playoff points and help with qualifying and other track position reward in future races. That is just the nature of that beast of restrictor plate racing.. Half the field competes in each one based on the results from single-car qualifying held earlier in the week. I think 100 laps turned out to be a nice compromise. Sometimes this gamble pays off and other times it backfires greatly. The sport of NASCAR may not be as rich as the multi-billion-dollar NFL, but that doesnt mean its poor, either. Drivers now earn bonus points by finishing in the top 10 at the end of the first and second stages of a race. The only road course events that will have stage breaks will be Xfinity standalone races at Portland (June 3) and Road America (July 29) and the Truck standalone race at Mid-Ohio (July 8). In fact, up until 2017, the race was all-out until you finished. Race stages also break up speed top-speed races that push cars to their limits for 100s of laps. Its no surprise that the fanbase has declined in recent years. It is also less exciting because there is less chance of someone quietly nailing the strategy in the background to emerge the winner in the last pit cycle. No reason. Just uncalled for. You might be wondering why NASCAR races now have stages. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the PRN broadcast. If the driver is selected for the 16-car field, these playoff points are added to their overall point total at the start of the playoffs. Kevin Harvick dominated a 400-mile race Sunday in Las Vegas, leading 214 of 267 laps and comfortably winning both stages and the . Even if NASCAR just shortens the races and doesn't include those laps, it would still seem right. The leaders know they will vie for that stage win and the regular-season points that go with it. Stage racing is simply NASCAR's way of bunching the field up a couple. NASCAR Sprint Cup formerly used restrictor plates at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. Stages change this by turning the single-race competition into 2 mini races and a full race that is half the duration of the total initial race. Table of Contents The regular season point and playoff point systems are used for all three series; thus, each stage winner receives ten regular season points and one playoff point. DISTANCE: The race is 62 laps (250 miles) on the 4.048-mile road course. Bill France Jr., former NASCAR president, did too. The adjustments primarily involve reducing the number of laps in the third stage to ensure enough . Stages 1 and 2 offer extra points for each driver, and the Coca-Cola 600, stage 3 also gives the same points. Stage points will still be awarded at the stage-ending lap, but the green-checkered flag will not be displayed and there will not be a caution period to interrupt the action. If a driver wins both stages and the race, he/she earns a . Each driver will earn the points above for each stage that is not the final one. There are vocal, passionate fans on both sides of the issue. The pending end of a stage. There were heat races to select the field for this race, but there were no stages for the main event. The field for the Daytona 500 is determined by the two qualifying events known as the Daytona Duels. Despite the fact that NASCAR prioritizes driver safety in some cases, on some superspeedways, things can actually become more dangerous. This race had heat races to set the field but did not have stages during the main event. This is true for the Truck Series, Xfinity, and the Cup Series, considered the top three tiers of NASCAR racing. After a near-miss between drivers Casey Mears and Dale Jarrett at the Sylvania 300 in 2003, NASCAR opted to implement the rule to halt all racing whenever there was an incident on the track, and the beneficiary rule allowed slower cars to catch up. Required fields are marked *. NASCAR All-Star Race adds element for pit crews Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. NASCAR Cup Series: Jimmie Johnson could return in 2021, Broncos' Derek Wolfe to Get MRI on Elbow Injury; Vic Fangio 'Not Optimistic'. NASCAR introduced stage racing in 2017 as a way to adapt its traditional long-duration races to a larger digital audience. But why did NASCAR start stage racing? NASCAR has had a set term of race format for almost 100 years, and the premise of stage racing greatly affects established team strategies. NASCARs equivalent of the home-field advantage found in other sports is playoff points. Playoff points are extremely valuable during each 3-race round of the playoffs. Stages split NASCAR races into 3 segments and afford the opportunity for more points if a driver runs well all race. So, now that you know what and why stages were included in NASCAR, you can enjoy the sport better. NASCAR isn't quite ready for that, aside from the Busch Light Clash, so in 2017 the sanctioning body came up with the ideas of breaking up races into three stages. In a stunning development, NASCAR announced Sunday evening that Chase Elliott has been declared the winner of the M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway after both Denny Hamlin and Kyle . All NASCAR races across the 3 major series have stages because the sport wanted to create a better television product by adding more urgency during the middle portions of a race. The Daytona Duels are 2 qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500. But Would that still be good? When we introduced stage racing we took an element of strategy away from the event, Sawyer. Each three-race playoff round is a crucial time to earn playoff points. And coming off pit road under caution after Stage 1, Hamlin made it off pit road first to keep the lead -- just as the left front wheel came off his car and zipped past him at the exit of pit road. 20 in 2018, Keselowski: Current car design not up to par. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". It all just comes down to excitement and incentive at the end of the day. By all public indications, leadership is happy with the increased urgency during the middle portions of the race and the different strategies which come from them. Stage racing wasn't always a thing in NASCAR, and is probably one of the newest changes the sport has made over the years. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images). All the drivers are bunched together, 2-by-2, trying to make the most of their fresh tires and improve track position while they still can. The top 10 during regular season standings also receive a gradation of playoff points. Continuing its tradition of innovation, NASCAR, in collaboration with drivers, teams, and manufacturers, built a new generation of car the NASCAR Next Gen car aimed to further reduce costs. Restrictor-plate races have been found to cause bunching up of racers which leaves less time to react to race obstacles. It appears as an artificial way to bunch up the field and give teams extra time to make adjustments. Most first and second stages make up about 25 to 30 percent of the total distance while the final stage is 40 to 50 percent of the total distance. The drivers have something to race for, even when it's just lap 20. Many would say yes. 2023 Nascar Chronicle.