I think the fans would ultimately lose.". This content is imported from YouTube. NASCAR competition officials announced rules changes Tuesday with the intent to slow Cup Series cars by approximately 7-10 mph at superspeedway events. What stages are in the NASCAR Cup Series and how they work - HITC This creates more drama and crashes while preventing breakaway victories. The top 10 finishers in each stage receive points on a 10-1 scale in the NASCAR points standings. (Chastain). Who will air Nascar in 2022? - Trackanya You also earn playoff points per stage you win, which is added to your postseason total. Apr 20, 2022 12:01 AM. Whether or not stage racing is good for NASCAR may always be a debated topic for as long as it exists. Can You Go To A NASCAR Race While Pregnant? NASCAR hasnt just captured the imagination of its race fans, but also of much of the wider world through the medium of film. Officials believed this was a great way to improve its races. That leads to the question that has been asked since even before the 2017 season began: should NASCAR get rid of stages? So, for all those long-time NASCAR fans who dont quite get the race these days, heres your chance to get up to speed on why NASCAR implemented stages. Last year through 18 races, the average number of caution laps was 39.9, but it was as high as 44.2 in 2014. Why did NASCAR implement stage racing? The 2022 event was raced on a short track created inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. They want it to matter. And current drivers seem to have quickly grown accustomed to stage racing and accepted it. Race stages also break up speed top-speed races that push cars to their limits for 100s of laps. There is a 1% chance of rain for the start of the race. During the scheduled stage breaks, it is much easier for NASCAR to sell commercial space for official races, which helps with televised broadcasts. At the end of each race stage, points and playoff points are tallied and awarded to the winning drivers. Furthermore, the introduction of stages gave NASCAR drivers an extra incentive by competing for highly coveted stage points. Some still wonder, wanting to see how it plays out with stage winners earning one playoff point and race winners earning five. You might be wondering why NASCAR races now have stages. Although these sometimes happen on their own throughout the race, there are other times where the opportunity doesn't present itself. Essentially, the stage racing format in NASCAR is designed to help keep the pack together and not let one driver dominate. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Caution periods and pitstops were the only breaks teams could count on from the rigors of the endurance race, and teams had to strategize accordingly. I know it used to be, but nowadays, its like its almost not even necessary. 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 final race wins are worth 5 points for the playoff, so a driver that wins both stages and the overall race can leave with 67 playoff points. Full highlights and race results from the 2023 Daytona 500 NASCAR vs IndyCar: What are the 4 main differences? NASCAR Cup Series: Jimmie Johnson could return in 2021, Broncos' Derek Wolfe to Get MRI on Elbow Injury; Vic Fangio 'Not Optimistic'. This race had heat races to set the field but did not have stages during the main event. Whoever crosses the finish line first among the final 4 drivers is crowned champion. 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. For almost all of its history, the only time a caution flag flew was because of an incident on track. Stage racing falls exactly in line with this philosophy. A pit road penalty or bad pit stop early has consequences. On average, the races have lasted seven minutes longer this season than in 2016. The top 10 during regular season standings also receive a gradation of playoff points. and then runs 40 percent of the race in the final stage. Restrictor plate | Stock Car Racing Wiki | Fandom Advancing teams carry their playoff points all the way through to the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway in November. The NASCAR racing stages are very easy to understand once you know how it works. Of course, they could do that anyway without the "stages," but this at least gives fans a starting point. Stage racing is impossible in 150-mile races; therefore, NASCAR drivers complete all 60 laps without any pauses. Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onAll Racing and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. These numbers are all added together to give the number of points each driver has gained from the race. There are vocal, passionate fans on both sides of the issue. NASCAR has come to accept a lot of artificial excitement into their product, and stage racing is a result of that. I was side-by-side with (. 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. Even if NASCAR just shortens the races and doesn't include those laps, it would still seem right. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. NASCAR instituted stage breaks and stage points for the 2017 season and has kept the system in place since. Each of the stages starts and ends with a checked green/white flag, not the traditional end of the race checkerboard. ASA * Requires a second dash bar in the car's centersection. However, this is no longer the case. NASCAR: Just how good is Bubba Wallace at superspeedways? In nascar what is a competition caution? - sur.afphila.com Every NASCAR season begins with an exhibition race called The Clash. So what's to like about the stages? Essentially, the stage racing format in NASCAR is designed to help keep the pack together and not let one driver dominate. Stage racing means every pit strategy becomes entirely based on the stages. So, I think it was the No. Race wins are worth 5 points, while stage wins are worth 1. The move comes in. 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. 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. His "Garage Mahal" in Mooresville, NC, was a . 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 . The now-former CEO also cited fan engagement during his announcement, saying stage racing resulted from industry-wide collaborative brainstorming sessions with the ultimate goal being strengthening the sport for our fans. Modern-day NASCAR always strives to put on a great show for fans and is willing to alter tradition to do so, even if the decisions are not always beloved by everyone. 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. It all just comes down to excitement and incentive at the end of the day. The pending end of a stage. NASCAR awards a playoff point to the stage winner along with 10 points. The final stage goes off the points listed above. Stage racing has been controversial among fans but is now a staple of NASCAR competition. 1? The new structure seems to be bringing more fans who like to see 150-mile races and then an additional race after these miniature races that is about twice the distance. The reasons NASCAR implemented stage racing is myriad, as outlined in the info that follows. Each three-race playoff round is a crucial time to earn playoff points. Its no surprise that the fanbase has declined in recent years. Some love it, some hate it, but all agree stages are here to stay. NASCAR announced the change Tuesday in a session with reporters at the NASCAR R&D Center. However, a Duel win does not count toward advancing to the playoffs. Analysis: How the addition of stages affected the Daytona 500 - Motorsport If any word can define the 2017 NASCAR Cup season, it could be this one: stages. Everyone who finishes a stage 11th and after earns no stage points. Introduced in 2017, NASCAR stages were considered a needed change to the long-standing single-stage race event that the sport was known for. The last stage is always the longest distance of the entire race, and usually involves a pitstop as well. Wave them off with a green flag, and about three hours later, see them in with a chequered one. 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. By doing this, they will often trade worse track positions on the next restart to try banking stage points on the front end. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. NASCAR issues Cup Series rules changes for superspeedways | NASCAR TV/RADIO: Qualifying coverage on CNBC begins at 11 a.m. Pre-race . NASCAR eliminates stage breaks for Cup road course events Older fans, however, believe this was a crucial blow to NASCAR's diehard fans. That's why less people are watching. TV/RADIO: FS1 will broadcast the race at 12 p.m. Performance Racing Networks radio coverage begins at 11 a.m. and also will stream at goprn.com. It essentially breaks each race. Initially, only on-track incidents resulted in raising the red flag. Midway through the season -- 18 races down, 18 to go -- it's a smart time to wonder if NASCAR did something right in dividing all of its races into three stages. Drivers now earn bonus points by finishing in the top 10 at the end of the first and second stages of a race. Yes, stage racing adds the element of strategy. The final stages decide the races placement, giving them even more points. To ensure ad space buyers and fans of fixed commercial spots that guarantee interruption-free green flag racing. The length of stages at Phoenix Raceway will be different than the stage lengths at other major series races like Daytona. 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. Even if they occasionally occur naturally during the race, there are other moments when the chance isnt there. A stage is a division of the total race duration into usually three or occasionally four parts. For some unknown reason of late, when it comes to racing in the rain, NASCAR has decided to go where it has never gone before. Since then, the winner of each Duel receives 10 championship points. How would stages make racing more exciting, you might ask? Stage racing wasn't always a thing in NASCAR, and is probably one of the newest changes the sport has made over the years. NASCAR Cup Series at Pocono results: Chase Elliott declared winner Want to know the most dangerous tracks this season? What things can we look for and try to do. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below.