One of the biggest changes that NASCAR brought to stock car racing in a bid to make it more interesting was the introduction of “stages” in 2017. What used to be three-hour marathons of cars vying for the checkered flag without rest was broken down into little chunks AKA stages. This format kept viewers more hooked to the game and facilitated a better usage of commercials, among other advantages.
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Stages break single-race events down into three mini-races. Each race except the Coca-Cola 600 (four) has three stages. The first two of these three stages make up for a quarter of the total race length each, and the final stage constitutes half the length. The drivers who get placed in the top 10 positions at the end of a race are awarded points on a 10-1 scale. The winner of a stage gets a playoff point in addition.
January 23, 2017: NASCAR announced that all races would be divided into three stages with points awarded mid-race to the top stage finishers pic.twitter.com/SHrbvwY9RZ
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) January 23, 2024
The format was designed as a means to hold the 40 cars on the grid together without one dominating throughout the race. Should a driver gain an early lead and hold it well, the format ensures that the field is reset at the end of a stage to aid drama. Adding stages also helped teams devise better strategies and plan their performances. The different pitting and tire strategies that crew chiefs adopted made for interesting passing and action on the track.
How fans adapted to stage racing after its implementation in 2017
At the time of its introduction, not a lot of fans were thrilled about the idea of endurance not mattering much anymore in NASCAR. The gimmicky nature of stages and the idea of the promotion facilitating commercials with stage breaks though they made superspeedways more dangerous wasn’t received well.
However, as the 2017 season progressed the ensuing thrill swayed the winds in NASCAR’s favor. Scott Miller, NASCAR’s then-Senior VP of Competition said after the first 24 races in the format, “I know that fan response initially wasn’t all positive, but I think as the season has worn on and they’ve seen the benefits of the increased action around the stage finishes, I think that by and large, most everybody is in support of the stage racing.”
The natural break that stages provide for drivers, broadcasters, and fans, has worked out well so far. Interestingly, the 2023 season saw NASCAR try its hand at changing the blocks around by removing and then adding stage breaks on road courses.
