why did nascar implement stages

This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The reasons that the stages were added to NASCAR racing all boil down to one thing. 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. 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. Each stage length is determined well before the race, and each is ended with a green/white checkered. Restrictor-plate races have been found to cause bunching up of racers which leaves less time to react to race obstacles. Do All NASCAR Races Have The Same Number Of Stages. The length of stages at Phoenix Raceway will be different than the stage lengths at other major series races like Daytona. Stage racing has been controversial among fans but is now a staple of NASCAR competition. Some would say this change ruins the racing experience. That leads to the question that has been asked since even before the 2017 season began: should NASCAR get rid of stages? The race is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. 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. Can You Go To A NASCAR Race While Pregnant? Now more rewards are given more frequently to racers at each stage, and points and stage endings replace multiple cautions per race techniques. Dr. Diandra: Fact-checking Kyle Buschs statement about late-season rank changes, Kyle Busch: Team communication working well at RCR, Friday 5: Changes lead Cup drivers to moonlight in other forms of racing, Dale Earnhardt Jr. latest added to NASCARs list of 75 Greatest Drivers, Dr. Diandra: Dont dismiss Trackhouse Racing or anyone else after only 10 races, Alex Bowman fractures vertebra in sprint car crash; out 3-4 weeks, NASCAR Power Rankings: Kyle Busch moves into top spot. The top-10 drivers in the first and second stages will qualify for these extra points. The breaks abounded for 4.8 percent of the race. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". This is the exploratory stage where fundamental questions are answered, such as what will actually be implemented. 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. It is now somewhat common to see teams gamble with their pit strategies to maximize stage points. 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. 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. By placing in the top 10 at the end of the first and second stages of a race, drivers may now earn additional points. I was side-by-side with (. (Chastain). They talk about giving points for qualifying. STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 14. 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%. Since then, the winner of each Duel receives 10 championship points. All 3 series use the regular season point and playoff points system, meaning all stage winners receive 10 points and 1 playoff point. 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. There will be no stage breaks for Xfinity races at Circuit of the Americas (March 25), Sonoma (June 10), Chicago street course (July 1), Indianapolis road course (Aug. 12), Watkins Glen (Aug. 19) and Charlotte Roval (Oct. 7). NASCAR stated there will be no stage breaks in the Cup road course events at Circuit of the Americas (March 26), Sonoma (June 11), Chicago street course (July 2), Indianapolis road course (Aug. 13), Watkins Glen (Aug. 20) and Charlotte Roval (Oct. 8). 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. Last year through 18 races, the average number of caution laps was 39.9, but it was as high as 44.2 in 2014. That decision was no doubt aided by a thrilling NASCAR Xfinity Series race that took place on the road course last season as a sort of test for what was to come. On average, the races have lasted seven minutes longer this season than in 2016. This is true for the Truck Series, Xfinity, and the Cup Series, considered the top three tiers of NASCAR racing. This brings the total laps to 130 and sets the field up for a 70-lap shootout to the end. SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will carry the PRN broadcast. Brad Keselowski was initially against the premise of stage racing when rumors first spread about the concept in the early 2010s. 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. How often do fans moan about qualifying? Kyle Busch will lead the field to the green flag after qualifying was canceled Saturday by rain. 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. Stages split NASCAR races into 3 segments and afford the opportunity for more points if a driver runs well all race. Fans get more action, and televised events fit commercials in better than interrupting green flag racing. The 2017 NASCAR season saw the implementation of stage racing. NASCAR All-Star Race adds element for pit crews Because the cars are coming from the dirt surface to the concrete pit road, NASCAR didn't want drivers trying to maximize their time on. The organization didn't implement the idea of stage racing until 2017 in an attempt to make racing more exciting and award teams stage points. 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. Exploring & Preparing. 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. C'mon, admit it. It seems to be something (Chatain) does a lot recently. Answers to the 8 Most Interesting NASCAR Questions. Race stages also break up speed top-speed races that push cars to their limits for 100s of laps. What are stages in NASCAR? Everyone who finishes a stage 11th and after earns no stage 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. However, a Duel win does not count toward advancing to the playoffs. Most NASCAR races are broken down into three stages. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. NASCAR had to make some changes to ensure the survival of the sport. This allows for planned breaks around the middle portions of the race which, while generally not as eventful as the start or finish of the race, can have moments that fans dont like missing. 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. NASCAR races were once run start-to-finish with no mandated breaks in the action. The racers in the lead change more frequently, which makes the races and, therefore, the season closer in points and more suspenseful for fans. I dont know. 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. There are points assigned to each stage, and then the points at the end of the race are added in. Of course, they could do that anyway without the "stages," but this at least gives fans a starting point. The total number of laps in the race remains mostly unchanged but how races progress through these laps changes drastically. The wreck happened in the first stage of the race, a fact both Larson and Poole pointed out after the crash. 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. Why did NASCAR implement stage racing? So, now that you know what and why stages were included in NASCAR, you can enjoy the sport better. Playoff points, typically coveted and only available when a racer finishes the full race, are available at the ends of stages. This, along with the five points given to the race winner, adds up to a grand total of 61 points. Stage points incentivize racing throughout the race and not just for the win and to offer more passing opportunities during the race. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Every NASCAR driver will likely say that hasn't changed. There are still stages during the season finale, but the Championship 4 earns no stage points in that race. 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? 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. Drivers have an opportunity to accrue points in the regular season for qualifying in the championship competition. ASA * Requires a second dash bar in the car's centersection. 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. Despite the fact that NASCAR races typically include three stages, the Coca-Cola 600 is the exception to the norm because of its extended distance. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. 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 who possibly had driven through debris a chance to pit. 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. 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. 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. This applies to all top 3 levels of NASCAR competition: the Cup Series, the Xfinity Series, and the Truck Series. The trucks have been racing on dirt since 2013, however this will be their first go at Bristol. DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It is time for the 65th running of the Daytona 500, NASCAR's biggest event on its biggest stage, kicking off what many believe could be one of the sport's biggest seasons . 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. So, the 2nd-place driver earns 9 stage points, the 3rd-place driver earns 8, and so on. Ross Chastain finished third. These points, different from the previous stage points, accumulate for a playoff-style race where each stage winner gets one playoff point. It essentially breaks each race. This race had heat races to set the field but did not have stages during the main event. When NASCAR races first began, there were no required interruptions during all of the action. Would love your thoughts, please comment. The final stage goes off the points listed above. Each three-race playoff round is a crucial time to earn playoff points. Although there are caution laps and times when racing is under a yellow flag, it can be difficult to time commercials perfectly and still give clients the required airtime. The obvious reasons why this change was made in 2017 can be blamed on numerous things, starting with the most important. The leaders know they will vie for that stage win and the regular-season points that go with it. The top 10 during regular season standings also receive a gradation of playoff points. 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. By doing this, they will often trade worse track positions on the next restart to try banking stage points on the front end. 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. 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.. The televised racing experience was also a key factor in NASCARs decision to alter the framework of its races. While it is true that 10 points for winning a stage is nowhere near 40 points for winning a race and sacrifices are often made, such as not making a late pit stop, to finish stages in the top 10, those point totals still add up. 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 short track built within the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum served as the venue for the 2022 competition. Experts state that there are a few reasons why NASCAR implemented stage racing. It does not store any personal data. 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. For almost all of its history, the only time a caution flag flew was because of an incident on track. NASCAR announced that the Dover Cup race has been postponed to Monday because of rain. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Problems with racing back to the caution Safety 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.

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why did nascar implement stages