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). There are still stages during the season finale, but the Championship 4 earns no stage points in that race. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. ET Monday. NASCAR announced the change Tuesday in a session with reporters at the NASCAR R&D Center. A Beginners Guide to NASCAR: 6 Highlights of What NASCAR Is Like. 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. NASCAR competition officials announced rules changes Tuesday with the intent to slow Cup Series cars by approximately 7-10 mph at superspeedway events. The Daytona Duels are 2 qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500. Well, the reality is that there is a strong likelihood that a spectacular pass or a major accident will occur every time NASCAR green-flags a restart. 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. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. NASCAR is heading to the dirt track on March 27-28, 2021. Title sponsorship changed the game; it made sense to make sure the sport's biggest stars would be on hand no matter where the series went each week. Drivers in position 11 onward are awarded no points for the stage. NASCAR is settling with people in the crowd who sustain life altering injuries like it's nothing. 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. If fans plan ahead, they can figure when to start eating certain snacks. There always was a feeling that a driver who dominated but got caught up in someone else's accident or had an engine expire with 10 laps remaining received nothing for those efforts. This means selecting, designing and developing the intervention to be implemented. While there are usually three stages in each NASCAR race, the exception to the rule is the Coca-Cola 600, which is given a fourth stage due to the longer distance. NASCAR typically divides the opening 60% of the race into the first two stages to determine stage length. The Clash is an exhibition race that opens each NASCAR season. 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. Please logout and login again. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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. So, its kind of pathetic. It makes the race much more exciting because the drivers are not only pushing their cars to the limit to get the winning points at the end but to gain the extra points they can earn by placing in the top ten of every stage. That leads to the question that has been asked since even before the 2017 season began: should NASCAR get rid of stages? However, this is no longer the case. "And I think that NASCAR is pretty adamant that they want them to count, otherwise the teams would run the cars out of gas purposely on the last lap so they don't have to pace around and waste that energy. These playoff points are added to the drivers point total at the beginning of the playoffs if they qualify for the 16-car field. 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. Exploring & Preparing. To determine stage length, NASCAR usually splits the first 60 percent of the race between the first two stages. A crew chief can determine that after stage 1, a guaranteed 9 or 10 points outweighs the uncertainty of racing later in the pack. The racers in the lead change more frequently, which makes the races and, therefore, the season closer in points and more suspenseful for fans. At Phoenix Raceway, the stage breaks lasted for 12 laps, equating to .26 hours or 15.6 minutes. What NASCAR Track Has the Steepest Banking? NASCARs equivalent of the home-field advantage found in other sports is playoff points. Since then, the winner of each Duel receives 10 championship points. Stage points are available at the end of stages 1 and 2 for the top 10 drivers. With that said, however, he also finished first in both Stages 1 and 2, netting him 20 extra points. Stage 2 consists of roughly the second quarter, and Stage 3 makes up the remaining second half. Instead of the field being strung out halfway through a race, the leaders are suddenly brought back together, creating more intensity. NASCAR instituted stages prior to the 2017 season in a dual effort to create closer competition on the track and make a better television product for fans watching from home. This is peak participation trophy logic and rewards the wrong individuals for focusing on the wrong aspects of racing. Why did NASCAR implement stage racing? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". These numbers are all added together to give the number of points each driver has gained from the race. And each time it does, it has seen the very predictable consequences . Just look at the differences in the final 2019 championship standings, the standings without playoffs, and the standings without stages. If any word can define the 2017 NASCAR Cup season, it could be this one: stages. Essentially, the stage racing format in NASCAR is designed to help keep the pack together and not let one driver dominate. 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. The Stage 1 winner will start on the pole for the final stage - if that driver finishes 15th or better in Stages 2 and 3. NASCAR needs fan viewership to remain a viable product in the crowded sports and media landscape, so it opted to make drastic changes to its race format in an attempt to do so. 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. Now the drivers do get credit for strong starts. If a driver is pegged back every 65 laps or so - as is the case at the. Bigger changes have happened seemingly out of nowhere. 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. Based on the outcomes of the single-car qualifying event earlier in the week, half of the field competes in each. STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 120. Stages help the most in preventing breakaway leaders in the first few laps of the race. The driver that passes the finish line first gets 10 stage points, while the 10th-place driver only gets 1 point. Generally, the first two stages are a quarter of the total race distance each, and the third stage is the remaining half, although that exact split is usually not that easy per existing track lengths. This is exciting, because we see everyone win or lose on pit road immediately. Only the final stage of the race ends with the traditional checkered flag signaling not just the end of the 3rd stage but also the finale of the entire event. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Baker recalled a lengthy meeting with . STARTING LINEUP: Dover Cup starting lineup. This content is imported from YouTube. It essentially breaks each race. I mean, just a joke 80-something laps into a race? Larson returned to the track after repairs. Some of them are quite surprising. NASCAR has been a common household name for decades. This immeasurable change would save many lives in years to come. NASCAR: Dover Cup race not being broadcast on Fox. They want it to matter. 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. STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 14. 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. Bristol Motor Speedway will host the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Truck Series in a double-header weekend. 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. This added intrigue and strategy is exactly what NASCAR hoped stage racing would accomplish. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. I think he was actually better than me at the Bristol dirt race and had a better long run car than I did. While it is true that 10 points for winning a stage is nowhere near 40 points for winning a race and sacrifices are often made, such as not making a late pit stop, to finish stages in the top 10, those point totals still add up. The end of the race offers more significant points, and each driver that finishes the race will get at least one point. The race is split into four 100-lap stages. After all, keeping the pack together leads to more contact and more drama, Dragon Ball Super chapter 81 release time for English translation confirmed. Stage racing was introduced across NASCAR's three biggest series, the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series and the Truck Series, before the start of the 2017 season. This allows for planned breaks around the middle portions of the race which, while generally not as eventful as the start or finish of the race, can have moments that fans dont like missing. NASCAR All-Star Race adds element for pit crews There are points assigned to each stage, and then the points at the end of the race are added in. When comparing to the five-year averages of the races from 2013-17, 11 races have exceeded the five-year average, but only three by more than 10 minutes. (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. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The adoption of stages in NASCAR races has generated mixed reactions, with some drivers and fans finding it a positive change while others do not. The race will be broadcast by FS1, Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The top 10 at the end of a stage score points. link to Is NASCAR Racing Profitable for Teams? Most NASCAR races are broken down into three stages. NASCAR created stage racing in 2017 to increase competition throughout the race. These points are different from playoff points and help with qualifying and other track position reward in future races. Kyle Larson rolled into the crash area with nowhere to go and slammed into Poole. Each Cup race with the exception of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (with four) has three stages. The drivers have something to race for, even when it's just lap 20. That is just the nature of that beast of restrictor plate racing.. We continue to talk about our stuff and how we can get better, Busch said Saturday at Dover. There are vocal, passionate fans on both sides of the issue. This brings the total laps to 130 and sets the field up for a 70-lap shootout to the end. It's also an incentive to race as hard as you can, no matter what lap it is, which has made for some good racing in the past. 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. Stage racing is impossible in 150-mile races; therefore, NASCAR drivers complete all 60 laps without any pauses. The second stage also makes up 25 to 30 percent of the race. Stage 3 is made up of whatever miles are left over after the initial two stages, which is typically about half of the race. Essentially, the stage racing format in NASCAR is designed to help keep the pack together and not let one driver dominate. This bet occasionally pays off, but it can also have disastrous results. "It [not having laps count] would really throw a wrench in the whole strategy game. Sure, I understand that the top ten get points for each stage. And it gave Ricky Stenhouse Jr. a reason to bump-and-run to get back on the lead lap, costing Kyle Busch a stage win. However, after Dale Earnhardt, Sr.'s fatal crash in the 2001 Daytona 500, safety burst to the forefront of NASCAR's technology development. Each stage length is determined well before the race, and each is ended with a green/white checkered. This is a key decision-making phase in implementation. But its an unnecessary element of strategy that does nothing to enhance the on-track product. The top-10 drivers in the first and second stages will qualify for these extra points. START: Actor, director, author and podcaster Kevin Smith will give the command to start engines at 12:01 p.m. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 12:10 p.m. PRERACE: Cup garage opens at 9 a.m. Driver introductions at 11:30 a.m. Dan Schafer, pastor of Calvary Assembly of God in Heightstown, New Jersey, will give the Invocation at 11:53 p.m. JAGMAC will perform the national anthem at 11:54 p.m. Second place gets 35 points, third gets 34 points, fourth gets 33 points, until 36th-40th . Every NASCAR driver will likely say that hasn't changed. Although there are caution laps and times when racing is under a yellow flag, it can be difficult to time commercials perfectly and still give clients the required airtime. Regardless, love them or hate them, NASCAR stage races are 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. NASCAR now races in stages during Cup, XFinity and Trucks Series races but what actually are stages in NASCAR? Manage Settings Spend time assessing the needs of those affected by the . 1) Just like all the other major racing series in the world, NASCAR has become a money deal. You might be wondering why NASCAR races now have stages. But (a) there are still questionable caution flags thrown at times, and that will never change, and (b) stage-ending cautions still create artificial racing that doesnt belong in NASCAR, or anywhere for that matter. Great for the drivers, but for me personally as a fan (and . No longer do young NASCAR racers start at their local tracks and work their way up. NASCAR: Just how good is Bubba Wallace at superspeedways? Some love it, some hate it, but all agree stages are here to stay. 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). These points add up to positions and advantages in playoff races and continue to accumulate through the first stages of the championship race. As far as the playoff points are concerned, leave that for the race wins. 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. This race had heat races to set the field but did not have stages during the main event. There will be no stage breaks for the Craftsman Truck Series race at Circuit of the Americas (March 25). 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. 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. Only the final stage is ended with the traditional chequered flag, as that is the end of the race. Some like the different element stages add during the middle of races, while others consider stages an abomination and will never support the concept. Your email address will not be published. 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. Stages consist of dividing the race into smaller segments, allowing for commercial breaks and creating more suspense and action for the audience. This, along with the five points given to the race winner, adds up to a grand total of 61 points. Typically only the winner of the racing venues gets playoff points and is the singular winner of the event. Stage points are only handed out for the first and second stages. 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. All stage points a driver accumulates are added to this number. 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. Introduced in 2017, NASCAR stages were considered a needed change to the long-standing single-stage race event that the sport was known for. Stages also replace pit stops and give drivers a break they would never have been able to take during the old races. Pole-sitter Kyle Busch is scheduled to lead the field to the green flag at 12:10 p.m. Often a couple of racers can gain an intimidating lead that, unless crashes or car trouble occurs, will be maintained all three hours. It seems to be something (Chatain) does a lot recently. After an early-race crash sparked by Ross Chastain parked Brennan Poole in Mondays Cup race at Dover Motor Speedway, Poole said Chastain probably needs to get his butt whooped.. Stage racing is simply NASCAR's way of bunching the field up a couple of times and trying to create something interesting . His "Garage Mahal" in Mooresville, NC, was a . The organization didn't implement the idea of stage racing until 2017 in an attempt to make racing more exciting and award teams stage points. Now, they buy their way in. DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It is time for the 65th running of the Daytona 500, NASCAR's biggest event on its biggest stage, kicking off what many believe could be one of the sport's biggest seasons . Officials believed this was a great way to improve its races. Teams now occasionally risk with their pit strategy to increase stage points. I could go on the short run, but not the long run. He is a huge fan of fast cars and motorcycles and has always been drawn to the excitement and thrill of motorsports. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". This applies to all top 3 levels of NASCAR competition: the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Truck Series. They could round to 90 and then it would be 95, 95 and 187 - which makes Stage 3 pretty long. Yes, stage racing adds the element of strategy. USA TODAY Sports asked about 200 fans at tracks, on the phone and on social media who have reduced their racetrack trips to explain why. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. To the fans who've stuck with us today, we say thank you.Let's enjoy this #DAYTONA500 on FOX! These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. All Cup races have stages now, and every Cup race has at least 3 stages. Some longtime fans and NASCAR purists met the change with skepticism and outrage. As always, all races are split into three stages, with the . There is nothing better than watching a close race from the comforts of your living room, except for maybe a viewpoint from the trackside. At this point, why not just have 50-lap sprint races each week? 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. 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. Through 18 races, the races have been a total combined 80 minutes longer -- 4.4 minutes a race -- than the five-year averages for those events. Table of Contents The playoffs start better for drivers with a string of triumphs than those who have to work their way through the regular season with no wins. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the PRN broadcast. I have not had a lot of restrictor plate wins and have been lucky enough to get those wins. 275 max[] jg90270 max[] jg90270 (bs133hmfg) []np We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. That's why less people are buying tickets. By nature, stage racing also creates another unnecessary element that takes away from the competition itself. I know it used to be, but nowadays, its like its almost not even necessary. How NASCAR Stages Work. Each race is divided into three stages (four for the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway), and points are awarded to the top 10 drivers at the end of stages one and two, with regular points still awarded at the end of each race to each competitor as well. The points for the race are all added together to give the driver and their team an earned amount of points for the race. For almost all of its history, the only time a caution flag flew was because of an incident on track. It certainly should be. Important racing question: Can NASCAR race in the rain? 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. A driver who wins the first 3 stages would earn 30 points and 3 playoff points at this race, whereas sweeping stages at any other race only earns the winner 20 points and 2 playoff points. Still, due to circumstances beyond either of their control, way back when, the Cup series left the city. (Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images). The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the only NASCAR race that does not have 3 stages. The final stages decide the races placement, giving them even more points. 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. 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. At each stage, you also win awards you playoff points, which are added to your overall postseason score. This is true for the Truck Series, Xfinity, and the Cup Series, considered the top three tiers of NASCAR racing. It does not store any personal data. The breaks abounded for 4.8 percent of the race. Depending on the course, the first stage can be anywhere from 25 to 30 percent of the races overall duration. 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. 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. The Xfinity and Truck Series stage structures are also much like the Cup Series description listed above. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. placed second. Even if they occasionally occur naturally during the race, there are other moments when the chance isnt there. every driver a more significant incentive to race harder, https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/19966894/nascar-pros-cons-new-stage-racing-format-2017, https://ftw.usatoday.com/2017/08/nascar-cup-series-stage-racing-new-format-martin-truex-jr-chase-playoff-points-standings, https://promo.espn.com/news/pages/story?page=NASCAR-Points-System. C'mon, admit it. The field for the Daytona 500 is determined by the two qualifying events known as the Daytona Duels. Been in and out of cars of varying speeds since i was a child and sharing what i have learnt here. Now, you may wonder how stages increase the excitement of 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. The total number of laps in the race remains mostly unchanged but how races progress through these laps changes drastically. Kyle Busch, a two-time winner 10 races into the NASCAR Cup Series season, said communication is good between his team and that of teammate Austin Dillon at Richard Childress Racing. Not all, of course, but most. Playoff points are extremely valuable during each 3-race round of the playoffs. These points were crucial because they determine how many points each driver receives after a race when they are added together. In his free time, you can find him tinkering with his own vehicles, trying to make them faster and more exciting. Each driver will earn the points above for each stage that is not the final one. The length of stages at Phoenix Raceway will be different than the stage lengths at other major series races like Daytona. Is it really too old school or too much to ask for a race to be run without scheduled breaks that create manufactured strategy for which planning for the entire race generally becomes much simpler? I have been good a lot and have won a lot of races (but) not at restrictor plate tracks, Busch said. We also participate in other affiliate programs which compensate us for referring traffic. Stage 1 makes up roughly the first quarter of the race, though this can vary depending on the track. As NASCAR viewership moves to a larger digital spectatorship when compared to trackside fans, the race format has needed to adapt as well. 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. Motor Racing Sports is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. The race is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. However, nothing public has been floated surrounding any imminent stage changes. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. NASCAR races were once run start-to-finish with no mandated breaks in the action. 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 WINNER: @dennyhamlin battles back on the outside to take Stage 2 in The Great American Race! Having points available at predetermined increments during a NASCAR race has changed the way races are run in other ways as well. Dillon was instrumental in convincing his grandfather, team owner Richard Childress, to bring Busch into the fold at RCR. These criticisms are all fair. NASCAR also had a an issue when it red-flagged a stage at Pocono after the pits were closed and then issued a one-lap, green-flag dash to the end of the stage, which didn't allow time for drivers . Despite the fact that NASCAR prioritizes driver safety in some cases, on some superspeedways, things can actually become more dangerous. The two events, the Busch Light Clash and the Duels at Daytona, are the only races in NASCAR that do not have stages. If a driver is pegged back every 65 laps or so as is the case at the Daytona 500 it will ensure they cant get to far away. Translation: the drivers are paying for the pleasure of racing. The split racing format drastically affects the long-winded races and extreme endurance required in NASCARs traditional races. Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag after qualifying was canceled Saturday by rain. All with the aim of making racing both closer and more exciting a spectacle. A short track built within the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum served as the venue for the 2022 competition. 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. Another driver, Ryan Blaney, finished third at Pocono and earned himself 38 points. The move comes in. There is a lot to dissect regarding the stage racing format, including how it works and why it was introduced in the first place.
why did nascar implement stages