While the new points system that accompanies the new race format will come more into focus once the playoffs start, every week there is talk about how stages will play into that weekend's event. 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. Want to know the most dangerous tracks this season? Build your customFanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis onAll Racing and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. The more heated the race was, the better it was for all the racing fans. Or four, when talking about the 600-mile race at Charlotte. 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? A profound loss of a racing icon changed the way NASCAR viewed safety. 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. Even lauding that the fence "did its . 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. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 1-800-GAMBLER. 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. Drivers now earn bonus points by finishing in the top 10 at the end of the first and second stages of a race. NASCAR races were once run start-to-finish with no mandated breaks in the action. It does not store any personal data. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". 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. This race had heat races to set the field but did not have stages during the main event. Those playoff points (including those earned in the playoffs) carry over to each reset playoff round, except for the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Been in and out of cars of varying speeds since i was a child and sharing what i have learnt here. ET Monday. It all just comes down to excitement and incentive at the end of the day. The 150-mile races are too short for stage racing, so NASCAR drivers race all 60 laps with no designated breaks. The top 10 finishers in each duel do earn stage points in the same manner as every other race. Stage racing is impossible in 150-mile races; therefore, NASCAR drivers complete all 60 laps without any pauses. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. "It [not having laps count] would really throw a wrench in the whole strategy game. NASCAR now races in stages during Cup, XFinity and Trucks Series races but what actually are stages in NASCAR? I dont know. 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. Stages help the most in preventing breakaway leaders in the first few laps of the race. These points, different from the previous stage points, accumulate for a playoff-style race where each stage winner gets one playoff point. CONCORD, N.C. NASCAR will do away with stage breaks in all six Cup road course races and select Xfinity and Truck races this season, but teams will continue to score stage points. Officials issued the rules bulletin to teams . Each three-race playoff round is a crucial time to earn playoff points. Race wins are worth 5 points, while stage wins are worth 1. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. The weather is better for Cup drivers to race Monday at Dover Motor Speedway after rain postponed the event Sunday. The regular season point and playoff point systems are used for all three series; thus, each stage winner receives ten regular season points and one playoff point. Yeah, we get it. The two events, the Busch Light Clash and the Duels at Daytona, are the only races in NASCAR that do not have stages. 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. . Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Go figure. The closer the pack is together, and the more incentives they have to go for the lead, the better the entertainment will be for all the fans. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Why did NASCAR implement stage racing? 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. A crew chief may decide a guaranteed 9 or 10 points after stage 1 is worth the unknown that comes with racing in the back of the pack later. 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). Dillon was instrumental in convincing his grandfather, team owner Richard Childress, to bring Busch into the fold at RCR. Kyle Larson rolled into the crash area with nowhere to go and slammed into Poole. 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. It depends on what you watch NASCAR for and what you wish to get out of a race. This is exciting, because we see everyone win or lose on pit road immediately. Be the first one to comment on this story. 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. Typically only the winner of the racing venues gets playoff points and is the singular winner of the event. Drivers who reel off multiple victories during the season enter the playoffs on much better footing than drivers who point their way into the playoffs with no victories. The second stage also makes up 25 to 30 percent of the race. The Xfinity and Truck Series stage structures are also much like the Cup Series description listed above. I have not had a lot of restrictor plate wins and have been lucky enough to get those wins. This is especially true of teams near the playoff bubble as the season progresses because they know every single point matters. Stage points are available at the end of stages 1 and 2 for the top 10 drivers. However, a Duel win does not count toward advancing to the playoffs. But its an unnecessary element of strategy that does nothing to enhance the on-track product. I think he was actually better than me at the Bristol dirt race and had a better long run car than I did. The only NASCAR races without stages are 2 non-points races, the Duels at Daytona, and the Busch Light Clash. 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. In a stunning development, NASCAR announced Sunday evening that Chase Elliott has been declared the winner of the M&M's Fan Appreciation 400 at Pocono Raceway after both Denny Hamlin and Kyle . By placing in the top 10 at the end of the first and second stages of a race, drivers may now earn additional points. 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. 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. Why did NASCAR implement stage racing? Wins are worth five playoff points apiece. Stage racing was implemented to ensure those things were still part of the sport. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. NASCAR typically divides the opening 60% of the race into the first two stages to determine stage length. Stage racing and the subsequent cautions provide organic commercial breaks during which fans miss nothing. 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. 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. 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. The televised racing experience was also a key factor in NASCARs decision to alter the framework of its races. NASCAR created stage racing in 2017 to increase competition throughout the race. Poole left the race. ET Monday. 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. Stages 1 and 2 offer extra points for each driver, and the Coca-Cola 600, stage 3 also gives the same points. The first 2 stages of a race are usually between 25 and 30 percent of a races total laps each, with some variation depending on the length of a race and the track itself. There have been eight races this season that have been more than 10 minutes longer than last season (not including red-flag time) and four that have been at least 10 minutes shorter. Cars would pit when they could, hoping to get a caution so they could come in and get some fuel and new tires. Shouldn't running up front during a race matter for something? Most NASCAR races are broken down into three stages. Fans argue that the planned stage-ending cautions are better than phantom debris cautions, and that much is true. That's why less people are buying tickets. When NASCAR races first began, there were no required interruptions during all of the action. As soon as the green flag is raised and the cars accelerate, the final stage most closely mimics an authentic, vintage NASCAR race. These criticisms are all fair. They want it to matter. 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. NASCAR introduced stage racing in 2017 as a way to adapt its traditional long-duration races to a larger digital audience. The reasons NASCAR implemented stage racing is myriad, as outlined in the info that follows. 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. But why did NASCAR start stage racing? The third and final stage decides the winner and all other positions. It gives drivers reason not to coast (especially at restrictor-plate races) and fans a reason to watch. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Stage racing is simply NASCAR's way of bunching the field up a couple of times and trying to create something interesting. Its no surprise that the fanbase has declined in recent years. This, along with the five points given to the race winner, adds up to a grand total of 61 points. NASCAR has had a set term of race format for almost 100 years, and the premise of stage racing greatly affects established team strategies. When did NASCAR implement stages? But NASCAR is, first and foremost, an entertainment entity and recent history has shown its decisions will most often reflect that reality. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. At the end of the final stage, the race winner gets five playoff points in addition to 40 race points. They could round to 90 and then it would be 95, 95 and 187 - which makes Stage 3 pretty long. 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 longest stage of the race is always the final one. Depending on the course, the first stage can be anywhere from 25 to 30 percent of the races overall duration. The field for the Daytona 500 is determined by the two qualifying events known as the Daytona Duels. That's why less people are watching. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Sitemap | Contact Us | About Us. 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. The final stage goes off the points listed above. When we introduced stage racing we took an element of strategy away from the event, Sawyer. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Your email address will not be published. Experts state that there are a few reasons why NASCAR implemented stage racing. 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. Baker recalled a lengthy meeting with . The breaks abounded for 4.8 percent of the race. 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. For more information, please read our Legal Disclaimer. They talk about giving points for qualifying. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Felt this (change) would bring some new storylines (in an event).. This is a key decision-making phase in implementation. NASCAR is heading to the dirt track on March 27-28, 2021. It is now somewhat common to see teams gamble with their pit strategies to maximize stage points. 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. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The race was Pooles first Cup start of the season. However, this is no longer the case. 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. Everyone who finishes a stage 11th and after earns no stage points. NASCAR is settling with people in the crowd who sustain life altering injuries like it's nothing. 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. Again, isnt the goal to win races? Your email address will not be published. These changes are a far cry from the original spirit of NASCAR races but are working to bring in a younger audience base and provide better value to sponsors. Although these sometimes happen on their own throughout the race, there are other times where the opportunity doesn't present itself. Whoever crosses the finish line first among the final 4 drivers is crowned champion. 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. The final stages decide the races placement, giving them even more points. However, after Dale Earnhardt, Sr.'s fatal crash in the 2001 Daytona 500, safety burst to the forefront of NASCAR's technology development. There is a lot to dissect regarding the stage racing format, including how it works and why it was introduced in the first place. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. All picks and predictions are suggestions only. Kevin Harvick dominated a 400-mile race Sunday in Las Vegas, leading 214 of 267 laps and comfortably winning both stages and the . 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. and then runs 40 percent of the race in the final stage. 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. Every NASCAR season begins with an exhibition race called The Clash. What things can we look for and try to do. "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. NASCAR had to make some changes to ensure the survival of the sport. 1) Just like all the other major racing series in the world, NASCAR has become a money deal. '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. Yes, stage racing adds the element of strategy. Officials believed this was a great way to improve its races. NASCAR: Just how good is Bubba Wallace at superspeedways? This immeasurable change would save many lives in years to come. These playoff points are added to the drivers point total at the beginning of the playoffs if they qualify for the 16-car field. STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 120. Stage racing wasn't always a thing in NASCAR, and is probably one of the newest changes the sport has made over the years. A pit road penalty or bad pit stop early has consequences. 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. But Would that still be good? NASCAR All-Star Race adds element for pit crews ASA * Requires a second dash bar in the car's centersection. Stage points incentivize racing throughout the race and not just for the win and to offer more passing opportunities during the race. The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway is the only NASCAR race that does not have 3 stages. 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. The main reason is there are no commercial breaks at live race events that can interfere with active racing moments. 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%. Add to this stopping mid-way, and the crashes and bumps are sure to increase. We continue to talk about our stuff and how we can get better, Busch said Saturday at Dover. When did NASCAR implement pit road speed limits? Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag after qualifying was canceled Saturday by rain. Each of the stages starts and ends with a checked green/white flag, not the traditional end of the race checkerboard. NASCAR doesn't have pit crews for the race at Bristol. STARTING LINEUP: Dover Cup starting lineup. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. (Chastain). As the season continues, this is especially true for teams vying for postseason spots since they know that every point counts. Many would say yes. This is true for the Truck Series, Xfinity, and the Cup Series, considered the top three tiers of NASCAR racing. NASCAR Cup Series: Jimmie Johnson could return in 2021, Broncos' Derek Wolfe to Get MRI on Elbow Injury; Vic Fangio 'Not Optimistic'. 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. FORECAST: Weather Underground Mostly cloudy with a high of 59 degrees and no chance of rain at the start of the 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). The total number of laps in the race remains mostly unchanged but how races progress through these laps changes drastically. What are stages in NASCAR? 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. 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. Stage racing is simply NASCAR's way of bunching the field up a couple. The split racing format drastically affects the long-winded races and extreme endurance required in NASCARs traditional races. Here is the all-aluminum 2017 F-250 Super Duty, Tune-Only Challenger Hellcat puts down 705WHP, Behind the scenes: Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 SV (Superveloce) promotional video. 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. First adopted in 2017, stages in NASCAR effectively break the race up into three mini-races. 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. It was my first time in a new Cup car, and 80 laps out for what? 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. Bigger changes have happened seemingly out of nowhere. To determine stage length, NASCAR usually splits the first 60 percent of the race between the first two stages. Stage racing also creates more restarts, sometimes the most action-filled laps of a NASCAR race at certain tracks. The Xfinity and Truck Series stage layouts are similar to those for the Cup Series. 2023 Nascar Chronicle. LAST YEAR:Chase Elliott won last years 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. Maybe it hasn't. But when I watch NASCAR, I don't get that vibe anymore. 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. It wasnt uncommon for many teams to elect to pit before the first stage in a road course race and eschew points to put themselves in better track position for the final two stages. With NASCAR, it is always possible future officials could change course in favor of something new and inventive. 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. I was side-by-side with (. 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. That is just the nature of that beast of restrictor plate racing.. 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. This applies to all top 3 levels of NASCAR competition: the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Truck Series. There are some folks out there who just can't grasp stage racing in the spirit of what they view a race should be. But while stage racing likely isnt going anywhere following its first three seasons in the sport, you really have to wonder why its here, what purpose it serves, and above all, whether or not NASCAR should just do away with it. The points for the race are all added together to give the driver and their team an earned amount of points for the race. To the fans who've stuck with us today, we say thank you.Let's enjoy this #DAYTONA500 on FOX! It all just comes down to excitement and incentive at the end of the day. 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.. It is almost always the longest stage, often 40 to 50 percent of a races total length. Lets dig into these reasons a little deeper so you will better understand each of the those given about why NASCAR started stage racing. The pending end of a stage. Your favorite teams, topics, and players all on your favorite mobile devices. 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. Essentially, the stage racing format in NASCAR is designed to help keep the pack together and not let one driver dominate.
Soleil Resort Ocean City, Nj,
Hays County Mugshots 2020,
Jonesville Riverfest 2021,
Articles W