NASCAR Stage Racing: Pros and Cons

Con – Replacement for phantom debris cautions?

May people may argue that this is actually a pro of stage racing, as NASCAR has been known to throw “phantom” debris cautions over the years, but with the caution flag periods that come at the end of each stage, all of the drivers and teams know when they are coming and can plan for them in advance, so nobody gets an unfair advantage.

However, the fact is, there are inevitable cautions flag periods that come at the end of each stage, and they are caused by nothing to do with an actual wreck, which is essentially what those “phantom” debris cautions were. The only difference is that these cautions flag periods that come at the end of each stage are planned, so everyone knows about them in advance.

The wreck that took out Carl Edwards (see image), who was on his way to winning his first career Cup Series championship, took place on a restart from a “phantom” debris caution flag period at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Here is a video of that wreck.

Whether it’s a “phantom” debris caution or a stage-ending caution, the fact is, a caution flag is essentially coming out for a reason that has nothing to do with an actual wreck, and a restart ensues, which could cause a huge wreck like we saw last year at Homestead.

We could very well see another Carl Edwards-like wreck, if not more than one, before the first playoffs featuring stage racing come to an end. And those wrecks could play a huge role in determining the outcome of this year’s championship.