The breaks in the middle of races also allow for food runs and snack breaks without any risk of missing exciting green-flag racing. These points, different from the previous stage points, accumulate for a playoff-style race where each stage winner gets one playoff point. Playoff points, typically coveted and only available when a racer finishes the full race, are available at the ends of stages. Simply put, this will make our great racing even better, France said. So, its kind of pathetic. NASCAR Should Give The Hook To Its New Gimmick - Forbes It essentially breaks each race. 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. The wreck happened in the first stage of the race, a fact both Larson and Poole pointed out after the crash. Why Do NASCAR Races Have Stages? - FLOW RACERS *Added a required . Furthermore, the introduction of stages gave NASCAR drivers an extra incentive by competing for highly coveted stage points. TV/RADIO: Qualifying coverage on CNBC begins at 11 a.m. Pre-race . NASCAR awards a playoff point to the stage winner along with 10 points. The pending end of a stage. The reasons that the stages were added to NASCAR racing all boil down to one thing. They want it to matter. NASCAR had a problem in a truck race when the pits were closed under caution but were reopened after the leader had passed the commitment line. Instead of the field being strung out halfway through a race, the leaders are suddenly brought back together, creating more intensity. For almost all of its history, the only time a caution flag flew was because of an incident on track. Stage racing wasn't always a thing in NASCAR, and is probably one of the newest changes the sport has made over the years. Formula 1 on the verge of an amazing all-time record in Abu Dhabi, NASCAR: All the facts and figures from year 1 of the new package, NASCAR: Monday Dover race not being broadcast on Fox, NASCAR changes Dover schedule again due to weather. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. The Xfinity and Truck Series stage structures are also much like the Cup Series description listed above. The Weather Underground forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a high of 60 degrees. 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. Your login session has expired. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. The pending end of a stage. Brad Keselowski was initially against the premise of stage racing when rumors first spread about the concept in the early 2010s. Everyone who finishes a stage 11th and after earns no stage points. 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 2 ends at Lap 29. Stage racing has been controversial among fans but is now a staple of NASCAR competition. This, along with the five points given to the race winner, adds up to a grand total of 61 points. They could round to 90 and then it would be 95, 95 and 187 - which makes Stage 3 pretty long. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". 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. Since 2017, the main three sections of NASCAR (cup cars, XFinity, trucks) all compete in races that have three stages per race, with a fourth stage being added into the longer Coca-Cola 600. The racers in the lead change more frequently, which makes the races and, therefore, the season closer in points and more suspenseful for fans. As the season continues, this is especially true for teams vying for postseason spots since they know that every point counts. The Decline and Fall of NASCAR - The American Conservative Often a couple of racers can gain an intimidating lead that, unless crashes or car trouble occurs, will be maintained all three hours. 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. As winners pass the finished line to the green checkered flag that signals the end of the first two stages, the leading 10 drivers will be awarded stage points. More viewers mean more money for the owners of the cars, which in turn gives them more money to secure top drivers in their classes, which means more wins and more points. Each Cup race with the exception of the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (with four) has three stages. NASCAR announced Tuesday changes to the stage lengths at 16 Cup Series races for the 2020 season. '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. Spend time assessing the needs of those affected by the . These points add up to positions and advantages in playoff races and continue to accumulate through the first stages of the championship race. 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. Initially, only on-track incidents resulted in raising the red flag.