why did nascar implement stages

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. Whether or not stage racing is good for NASCAR may always be a debated topic for as long as it exists. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. placed second. Problems with racing back to the caution Safety The third and final stage decides the winner and all other positions. Maybe it hasn't. But when I watch NASCAR, I don't get that vibe anymore. "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. The only NASCAR races without stages are 2 non-points races, the Duels at Daytona, and the Busch Light Clash. NASCAR equips each car with an Incident Data Recorder (ICD) that is essentially the sport's "black box," mounted on the driver's side of the chassis in a "shoe" designed by safety engineers. At this point, why not just have 50-lap sprint races each week? Who wants to waste laps running under caution? The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". What things can we look for and try to do. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". All NASCAR points races now have stages. To the fans who've stuck with us today, we say thank you.Let's enjoy this #DAYTONA500 on FOX! Of course, they could do that anyway without the "stages," but this at least gives fans a starting point. Although these sometimes happen on their own throughout the race, there are other times where the opportunity doesn't present itself. It rewards those who are fast at the beginning of the race. 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. NASCAR: Dover Cup race not being broadcast on Fox. Another driver, Ryan Blaney, finished third at Pocono and earned himself 38 points. ET Monday. And what's not to like? Cars would pit when they could, hoping to get a caution so they could come in and get some fuel and new tires. That is just the nature of that beast of restrictor plate racing.. C'mon, admit it. Sometimes this gamble pays off and other times it backfires greatly. I was side-by-side with (. 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). The truth is that every time NASCAR green-flags a restart, there is a good chance of a great pass or a big wreck happening. 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. A racer that gets an early start will most likely not be ahead the entire race as race conditions change and the race stops and starts at least twice more. I mean, just a joke 80-something laps into a race? This changed in 2017, the same year NASCAR significantly overhauled its race format to implement stages. The driver that passes the finish line first gets 10 stage points, while the 10th-place driver only gets 1 point. This brings the total laps to 130 and sets the field up for a 70-lap shootout to the end. Stage points are only handed out for the first and second stages. This means selecting, designing and developing the intervention to be implemented. With NASCAR, it is always possible future officials could change course in favor of something new and inventive. Kyle Larson rolled into the crash area with nowhere to go and slammed into Poole. Fans get more action, and televised events fit commercials in better than interrupting green flag racing. The race is split into four 100-lap stages. This is because only the finishing order matters in determining a NASCAR champion. 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. Stage racing was implemented to ensure those things were still part of the sport. 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. 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. It usually takes about 40 to 50 percent of the whole races duration, making it nearly invariably the longest stage. The Weather Underground forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 60 degrees. 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. 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. 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. Until 2017, the races were merely qualifying events that awarded no championship points. The winner earns 10 points plus 1 playoff point and each subsequent finisher earns 1 fewer point. How NASCAR Stages Work. 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. 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. You also earn playoff points per stage you win, which is added to your postseason total. Advancing teams carry their playoff points all the way through to the Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway in November. Stages split NASCAR races into 3 segments and afford the opportunity for more points if a driver runs well all race. It helps television with commercials because there is no action missed. These points were crucial because they determine how many points each driver receives after a race when they are added together. The Daytona Duels are 2 qualifying races that set the field for the Daytona 500. Stage points incentivize racing throughout the race and not just for the win and to offer more passing opportunities during the race. 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. You might be wondering why NASCAR races now have stages. Earnhardt was a legend. 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. Required fields are marked *. There will be no stage breaks for the Craftsman Truck Series race at Circuit of the Americas (March 25). 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. NASCAR hasnt just captured the imagination of its race fans, but also of much of the wider world through the medium of film. ASA * Requires a second dash bar in the car's centersection. 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. Those who do not make the cut are left to prepare for the next racing season. STAGE WINNER: @dennyhamlin battles back on the outside to take Stage 2 in The Great American Race! 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). By nature, stage racing also creates another unnecessary element that takes away from the competition itself. 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. 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. No one should expect to make money from the picks and predictions discussed on this website. 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. Drivers have an opportunity to accrue points in the regular season for qualifying in the championship competition. Bill France Jr., former NASCAR president, did too. By placing in the top 10 at the end of the first and second stages of a race, drivers may now earn additional points. Larson returned to the track after repairs. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. It was my first time in a new Cup car, and 80 laps out for what? Still, due to circumstances beyond either of their control, way back when, the Cup series left the city. The caution laps counting seems kind of right but so wrong. To ensure ad space buyers and fans of fixed commercial spots that guarantee interruption-free green flag racing. '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. Lets dig into these reasons a little deeper so you will better understand each of the those given about why NASCAR started stage racing. Some love it, some hate it, but all agree stages are here to stay. The final stage most closely resembles a traditional, old-school NASCAR race, as there are no more mandated cautions once the green flag flies and drivers hit the gas. By the way, Brad Keselowski had an interesting view on this topic: "The teams are pretty adamant that they want to see the laps count, because they are putting miles on the engines and don't want that to count for nothing," he said. Many would say yes. 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. Each driver will earn the points above for each stage that is not the final one. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. These playoff points are added to the drivers point total at the beginning of the playoffs if they qualify for the 16-car field. 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. This applies to all top 3 levels of NASCAR competition: the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Truck Series. This immeasurable change would save many lives in years to come. Based on the outcomes of the single-car qualifying event earlier in the week, half of the field competes in each. 06.06.2017. Please logout and login again. Stage racing is simply NASCAR's way of bunching the field up a couple. 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 stage is a division of the total race duration into usually three or occasionally four parts. 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. Felt this (change) would bring some new storylines (in an event).. Second place gets 35 points, third gets 34 points, fourth gets 33 points, until 36th-40th . 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. Stage 3 is made up of whatever miles are left over after the initial two stages, which is typically about half of the race. Maybe thats just too old school. 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). The formula for NASCAR has been pretty simple in terms of race format. Some of them are quite surprising. Stage racing was implemented in NASCAR to remove the chance of race domination by single race drivers. To attempt to bank stage points up front, they frequently exchange inferior track positions on the subsequent restart. As the season continues, this is especially true for teams vying for postseason spots since they know that every point counts. What NASCAR Track Has the Steepest Banking? Stages consist of dividing the race into smaller segments, allowing for commercial breaks and creating more suspense and action for the audience. This is the exploratory stage where fundamental questions are answered, such as what will actually be implemented. And each time it does, it has seen the very predictable consequences . You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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. This year, seven of the 16 races have taken more than 3 hours, 30 minutes to complete (including red-flag time). However, a Duel win does not count toward advancing to the playoffs. The drivers have something to race for, even when it's just lap 20. This creates more drama and crashes while preventing breakaway victories. FORECAST: Weather Underground Mostly cloudy with a high of 59 degrees and no chance of rain at the start of the race. The breaks abounded for 4.8 percent of the race. Let's say Chase Elliott won a race at Pocono Raceway, earning him a total of 40 points. What are stages in NASCAR? But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Stage 2 ends at Lap 250. TV/RADIO: Qualifying coverage on CNBC begins at 11 a.m. Pre-race . At the end of each race stage, points and playoff points are tallied and awarded to the winning drivers. This is peak participation trophy logic and rewards the wrong individuals for focusing on the wrong aspects of racing. These points, different from the previous stage points, accumulate for a playoff-style race where each stage winner gets one playoff point. 20 in 2018, Keselowski: Current car design not up to par. But why did NASCAR start stage racing? The race will be broadcast by FS1, Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. Last year through 18 races, the average number of caution laps was 39.9, but it was as high as 44.2 in 2014. Busch will start on the pole and Dillon in the last starting spot in Sundays Cup Series race at Dover Motor Speedway after qualifying was cancelled Saturday. 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. The Xfinity and Truck Series stage layouts are similar to those for the Cup Series. Stage racing has been controversial among fans but is now a staple of NASCAR competition. 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. 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. NASCAR is heading to the dirt track on March 27-28, 2021. There are guys that are better at that style of racing than maybe me, but I still think it comes down to certain circumstances at the end where you are, how it all works, how it all happens. Your email address will not be published. For almost all of its history, the only time a caution flag flew was because of an incident on track. It appears as an artificial way to bunch up the field and give teams extra time to make adjustments. Since the winners of stages are not necessarily the same victors as the one that completes the 600-mile race first, more fans get to see their favorite drivers win the race stages. NASCAR racing did not always include stage racing. The reasoning behind the change in how the NASCAR races were set up all boils down to one thing. *Added a required . The adjustments primarily involve reducing the number of laps in the third stage to ensure enough . When NASCAR races first began, there were no required interruptions during all of the action. NASCAR has been a common household name for decades. Answers to the 8 Most Interesting NASCAR Questions. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Now more rewards are given more frequently to racers at each stage, and points and stage endings replace multiple cautions per race techniques. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. 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. The televised racing experience was also a key factor in NASCARs decision to alter the framework of its races. 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. Instead of the field being strung out halfway through a race, the leaders are suddenly brought back together, creating more intensity. You shouldnt be better positioned to make a playoff run because you were leading a random race on lap 130 of lap 250 or something and ended up 28th while someone who ran 11th in the races early stages gets nothing playoff-wise with a second place finish. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. 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. Some would say this change ruins the racing experience. Stage victories are worth one point, whereas race victories are worth five. I have not had a lot of restrictor plate wins and have been lucky enough to get those wins. I think the fans would ultimately lose.". NASCAR: Just how good is Bubba Wallace at superspeedways? On average, the races have lasted seven minutes longer this season than in 2016. 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 top 10 finishers in each duel do earn stage points in the same manner as every other race. So, I think it was the No. Rockingham Motor Speedway will begin a new life as a dedicated used car storage centre for the owner of Cinch and WeBuyAnyCar. 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 piece highlighted several factors explaining why stock car racing has yet to recover from the slump caused by the 2008-09 economic crash: A less affluent audience base than other major. The first two-thirds of 35 of 36 Cup races feel all but irrelevant.

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