NASCAR has not been stage racing forever. It is one of the newest changes that NASCAR brought about to make the racing framework more exciting for the fans, and more rewarding for the drivers. The stages provide the drivers with an opportunity to compete for the highly sought-after stage points. And every time a driver wins a stage, they are also awarded playoff points, which then get added to their postseason total. However, Richard Petty is not a great fan of racing in stages.
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“I think they ought to do away with stage points altogether,” said the King. “Sometimes you have a guy running fourth or fifth; gets more points than the guy that wins the race. That’s not right. You know, any other sport, no matter how much you lead the ball game, it’s who winds up with the most points when it’s over and I think NASCAR needs to do the same thing.”
The problem that Richard Petty points out is amplified at the Coca-Cola 600, which is the only race in NASCAR’s roster to be divided into four stages. Some might say, what is the point of an endurance race then?
Others might even wonder; if a 600-mile race is being divided into four stages of 150 miles each, why not break a 300-mile race at New Hampshire or maybe, at Phoenix into just two stages?
What is the point of having stage racing in the final NASCAR race of the year?
Throughout the season, stage points mean a lot to every driver on the field. However, when it comes to the final race at Phoenix, there is practically no purpose in keeping the door to earning stage points open. For the four drivers contending for the biggest title in the arena of NASCAR, only the finishing position matters. So why even break the flow of a race this important?
For the fans, this might not make a lot of sense. But for the drivers it does. Every single driver (other than the top 4) in the overall points standings from fifth to 30th, has an opportunity to move up by at least one position by bagging stage points. This matters a lot for the drivers as just by this system, a driver can be a top-10 or a top-5 points holder for the first time in his entire career.
Moreover, every position gained on the leaderboard means a little extra money in the hands of the driver and the owner. Therefore, as unnecessary as stage breaks might seem like, they indeed do a lot for the NASCAR drivers.
