The last stage is always the longest distance of the entire race, and usually involves a pitstop as well. 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. It gives drivers reason not to coast (especially at restrictor-plate races) and fans a reason to watch. On February 18, 2001, Dale Earnhardt hit a wall, and American motorsport was forever changed. 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. Last year through 18 races, the average number of caution laps was 39.9, but it was as high as 44.2 in 2014. Each stage length is determined well before the race, and each is ended with a green/white checkered. It seems one common trend in sports and entertainment has been to try and make traditional live spectator sports better adapted to a digital audience. Now, they buy their way in. Not all, of course, but most. All NASCAR points races now have stages. Translation: the drivers are paying for the pleasure of racing. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. *Added a required . Those events will keep stage breaks because they have non-live pit stops where the field comes down pit road together and positions cannot be gained or lost provided the stop is completed in the prescribed time by NASCAR. This is especially true of teams near the playoff bubble as the season progresses because they know every single point matters. Exploring & Preparing. The winner earns 10 points plus 1 playoff point and each subsequent finisher earns 1 fewer point. 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. These points all go towards the playoff points, which either get them into the racing after the primary season or not, depending on actual race wins as well. Stages consist of dividing the race into smaller segments, allowing for commercial breaks and creating more suspense and action for the audience. We continue to talk about our stuff and how we can get better, Busch said Saturday at Dover. A stage winner also receives one playoff point to their tally. How do they work in Cup Series races, and why did NASCAR opt to bring them in in the first place? Every NASCAR driver will likely say that hasn't changed. Adding stages breaks up these types of leads and brings the audiences attention back to the field every time the next stage of green-flag racing starts. Once the checkered flag flies, normal points are distributed throughout the field based on finishing order. At this point, why not just have 50-lap sprint races each week? What things can we look for and try to do. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. 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. 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. At the end of the final stage, the race winner gets five playoff points in addition to 40 race points. Advancing teams carry their playoff points all the way through to the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway in November. The split racing format drastically affects the long-winded races and extreme endurance required in NASCARs traditional races. The pending end of a stage. This year, seven of the 16 races have taken more than 3 hours, 30 minutes to complete (including red-flag time). The driver in first place during these stages will be awarded 10 points, second will get 9, third gets 8, and it continues to count down to the 10th position, which is awarded one extra point. Although these sometimes happen on their own throughout the race, there are other times where the opportunity doesn't present itself. It appears as an artificial way to bunch up the field and give teams extra time to make adjustments. To determine stage length, NASCAR usually splits the first 60 percent of the race between the first two stages. If a driver wins both stages and the race, he/she earns a . Let's also say that he finished fourth in the second stage, earning him seven points, and second in the first stage, giving him nine points. Simply put, this will make our great racing even better, France said. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". '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. By pitting early, they would be behind those who stayed out to collect the stage points. The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the only NASCAR race that does not have 3 stages. Felt this (change) would bring some new storylines (in an event).. Stage victories are worth one point, whereas race victories are worth five. the device limits the power output of the motor and hence slows both the acceleration and the overall top speeds . With that said, however, he also finished first in both Stages 1 and 2, netting him 20 extra points. NASCAR had to make some changes to ensure the survival of the sport. 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. So, the 2nd-place driver earns 9 stage points, the 3rd-place driver earns 8, and so on. However, nothing public has been floated surrounding any imminent stage changes. Who wants to waste laps running under caution? Buschs win at Talladega last week, his first at the 2.66-mile track in 15 years, gave the team a boost. "Considering feedback from teams, drivers and fans, NASCAR has implemented these changes to enhance competition," NASCAR senior vice president of competition Scott Miller said last year after. Typically only the winner of the racing venues gets playoff points and is the singular winner of the event. ET Monday. The Xfinity and Truck Series stage structures are also much like the Cup Series description listed above. Introduced in 2017, NASCAR stages were considered a needed change to the long-standing single-stage race event that the sport was known for. You also earn playoff points per stage you win, which is added to your postseason total. Why did NASCAR implement stage racing? In the area of fantasy sports leagues and sports betting, these points offer ways to create more action and build a rooster of winning racers. Brad Keselowski was initially against the premise of stage racing when rumors first spread about the concept in the early 2010s. Add to this stopping mid-way, and the crashes and bumps are sure to increase. NASCAR typically divides the opening 60% of the race into the first two stages to determine stage length. Each driver within the top ten of each stage will receive points associated with their placement. NASCAR announced Tuesday changes to the stage lengths at 16 Cup Series races for the 2020 season. But it is one part of the system that just seems a little too foreign, riding around waiting for the pits to open until television coverage comes back from commercial breaks. 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 . All betting content is intended for an audience ages 21+. I mean, just a joke 80-something laps into a race? Kyle Larson rolled into the crash area with nowhere to go and slammed into Poole. NASCAR deemed Stenhouse was in the lead when a caution was called on the final lap of the race.Ross Chastain topped Stage 2, while Brad Keselowski picked up a Stage 1 win. Having points available at predetermined increments during a NASCAR race has changed the way races are run in other ways as well. The crew chief and pit strategies teams need to incorporate stage endings into their race plans, and with stage structures, stage wins can matter as much as race wins for the championship competition. Those who do not make the cut are left to prepare for the next racing season. Sure, I understand that the top ten get points for each stage. To ensure ad space buyers and fans of fixed commercial spots that guarantee interruption-free green flag racing. To attempt to bank stage points up front, they frequently exchange inferior track positions on the subsequent restart. Bristol Motor Speedway will host the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Truck Series in a double-header weekend. . Stage 01. The wreck happened in the first stage of the race, a fact both Larson and Poole pointed out after the crash. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. ARCA * All cars must be equipped with a Race Safe light system. What is stage racing and why does NASCAR do it. MORE: NASCAR outlaws Ross Chastain Martinsville move, MORE: Hendrick Motorsports president says no changes in driver policy. 1991 Each Cup race with the exception of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (with four) has three stages. 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. link to Is NASCAR Racing Profitable for Teams? It rewards those who are fast at the beginning of the race. Stage 1 makes up roughly the first quarter of the race, though this can vary depending on the track. They could round to 90 and then it would be 95, 95 and 187 - which makes Stage 3 pretty long. The drivers have something to race for, even when it's just lap 20. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. 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. 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. 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. But that doesnt mean that we dont go to work and try and figure it out and make it better for both of us.. His "Garage Mahal" in Mooresville, NC, was a . As NASCAR viewership moves to a larger digital spectatorship when compared to trackside fans, the race format has needed to adapt as well. Stage 2 ends at Lap 29. This creates more drama and crashes while preventing breakaway victories. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The 2022 event was raced on a short track created inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. ET Monday to begin the 400-lap race on the 1-mile concrete oval. 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. Restrictor-plate races have been found to cause bunching up of racers which leaves less time to react to race obstacles. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the PRN broadcast. 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. Spend time assessing the needs of those affected by the . Now they can make banging snacks and still follow their teams perfectly. Although it has caused quite a controversy, stage racing is now a standard feature of NASCAR competition, and its something we all need to deal with. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This applies to all top 3 levels of NASCAR competition: the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Truck Series. There is a lot to dissect regarding the stage racing format, including how it works and why it was introduced in the first place. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Ross Chastain finished third. NASCAR All-Star Race adds element for pit crews 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. 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. Die-hard track-attending fans are not happy with stage racing implementation since they dont benefit from the onscreen advantages television spectators gain. If any word can define the 2017 NASCAR Cup season, it could be this one: stages. This brings the total laps to 130 and sets the field up for a 70-lap shootout to the end. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'speedtwitch_com-leader-1','ezslot_18',114,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-speedtwitch_com-leader-1-0');Stages break the 3-hour single race into 3 mini races, each with its own points and race winners, while helping to keep racers more bunched together during the middle of the race duration. The final stage often accounts for between 40% and 50% of the entire distance, whereas the first and second stages typically make up roughly 25% to 30%. During the scheduled stage breaks, it is much easier for NASCAR to sell commercial space for official races, which helps with televised broadcasts. The race is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. placed second. Fans argue that the planned stage-ending cautions are better than phantom debris cautions, and that much is true. This is important because it reduces the number of full-screen commercial breaks during green flag racing, something that often irks fans watching from home. These numbers are all added together to give the number of points each driver has gained from the race. The main reason is there are no commercial breaks at live race events that can interfere with active racing moments. NASCAR announced the change Tuesday in a session with reporters at the NASCAR R&D Center. Until 2017, the races were merely qualifying events that awarded no championship points. Missing an amazing pass or crash in NASCAR due to a dragging ad is just as upsetting as not seeing a touchdown pass in football for the same reasons. At the end of the year, the drivers at the top of the points leaderboard move on to the playoffs, when wins are taken into account. The reasons NASCAR implemented stage racing is myriad, as outlined in the info that follows. 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. So, I think it was the No. "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. To that, NASCAR likely views its new format as "modernizing tradition" and says something like, "Guilty as charged. Drivers now earn bonus points by finishing in the top 10 at the end of the first and second stages of a race. 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. 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. However, the older lot might still reminisce about the old days prior to these additions. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". I dont know. NASCAR, known for its trackside excitement, has not remained unaffected by this trend and broke up the 3+ hour single races into stages.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'speedtwitch_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_5',183,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-speedtwitch_com-medrectangle-3-0'); The number and distance of stags per race vary, but the resulting opinions on stage racing have been contentious. The points for the race are all added together to give the driver and their team an earned amount of points for the race. So, its kind of pathetic. Everyone who finishes a stage 11th and after earns no stage points. Obviously, we have our ups and downs, and I would say that we have struggled at times for sure, Martinsville being the worst. It also has the added strategy of teams pitting during a stage by dividing the length of that stage in half or thirds, depending on the number of pit stops anticipated during the stage. 1) Just like all the other major racing series in the world, NASCAR has become a money deal. This race had heat races to set the field but did not have stages during the main event. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The final stages decide the races placement, giving them even more points. Lets dig into these reasons a little deeper so you will better understand each of the those given about why NASCAR started stage racing. As far as the playoff points are concerned, leave that for the race wins. Great for the drivers, but for me personally as a fan (and . 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. The first two-thirds of 35 of 36 Cup races feel all but irrelevant. 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. STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 14. 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. 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). The caution laps counting seems kind of right but so wrong. I think the fans would ultimately lose.". The reasons NASCAR implemented stage racing is myriad, as outlined in the info that follows. NASCAR stages are competition yellow flags in the middle of the damn race! This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Stage racing is simply NASCAR's way of bunching the field up a couple. 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. Stages in NASCAR explained First adopted in 2017, stages in NASCAR effectively break the race up into three mini-races. 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. Want to know the most dangerous tracks this season? Wins are worth five playoff points apiece. Whoever crosses the finish line first among the final 4 drivers is crowned champion. When we introduced stage racing we took an element of strategy away from the event, Sawyer. Proponents of the changes agree that it is nice that 1st place-driver, 2nd-place driver, and 3rd-place driver, as well as the following several, get some points on a 10-1 scale. Why did NASCAR implement stage racing? Stage points are available at the end of stages 1 and 2 for the top 10 drivers. Stage 3 is made up of whatever miles are left over after the initial two stages, which is typically about half of the race. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. To the fans who've stuck with us today, we say thank you.Let's enjoy this #DAYTONA500 on FOX! At the end of each race stage, points and playoff points are tallied and awarded to the winning drivers. When NASCAR races first began, there were no required interruptions during all of the action. Stage racing is simply NASCAR's way of bunching the field up a couple of times and trying to create something interesting . 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. The more heated the race was, the better it was for all the racing fans. Each driver will earn the points above for each stage that is not the final one. Restrictor plates are devices installed between the carburetor and intake manifold that restrict the amount of air and fuel entering the engine's combustion chamber. As with any new rule, NASCAR is learning as it goes when cautions near the end of the stage mess up plans to close the pits once the leader hits the start/finish line with two laps left in the stage. 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. The shorter portions of races create different race day strategies that tend to make for a more explosive and action-packed race. All with the aim of making racing both closer and more exciting a spectacle. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Sitemap | Contact Us | About Us. 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. Elton Sawyer, senior vice president of competition for NASCAR, said the move away from stage breaks at road courses was made in collaboration with teams and response from fans. The breaks in the middle of races also allow for food runs and snack breaks without any risk of missing exciting green-flag racing. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Brennan Poole: Ross Chastain probably needs his butt whooped, Monday Cup race at Dover: Start time, TV info, weather, I feel like I just got ran over, Poole said. 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. The 2017 NASCAR season saw the implementation of stage racing. Stage racing is simply NASCAR's way of bunching the field up a couple of times and trying to create something interesting . Furthermore, the introduction of stages gave NASCAR drivers an extra incentive by competing for highly coveted stage points. In those races, stage points will be awarded on a designated lap, but there will be no green-and-checkered flag and the racing will continue. 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. STARTING LINEUP: Dover Cup starting lineup. Drivers have, on several occasions, finished races well outside the top 10 but still placed top five in total race points due to their stage results, and race winners havent always been the highest scorers pretty strange for a playoff system that supposedly rewards wins above everything. The Daytona Duels are 2 qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500. Table of Contents Shouldn't running up front during a race matter for something? Pole-sitter Kyle Busch is scheduled to lead the field to the green flag at 12:10 p.m. There are vocal, passionate fans on both sides of the issue. Joe is the owner and creator of this website. 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. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Some love it, some hate it, but all agree stages are here to stay. Here's a sampling of some of the changes for 2004. 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. I did not mean to do that at all, Chastain told his crew via radio. On Lap 81, Chastain bumped the rear of Pooles car, sending Poole up the track and into the outside wall. Poole left the race. Each Cup race with the exception of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (with four) has three stages.2022-02-20. 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. This quirk technically makes the Coca-Cola 600 the most valuable points race in NASCAR because it has 1 extra stage worth of points available. After racing back to the caution was eliminated, the green-white-checkered rule was implemented to help avoid a race from finishing under caution, particularly in the middle of a lap. By nature, stage racing also creates another unnecessary element that takes away from the competition itself. What was previously compared to the endurance required of top athletes and marathon runners has been effectively halved, making it far less impressive when a racer flies across the finish as the checkered flag flies. A profound loss of a racing icon changed the way NASCAR viewed safety. It also encourages a mix in the field of drivers on different pitting and tire strategies, which should lead to more passing and action.
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