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NASCAR: Time to say goodbye to stage racing — and hello to what?

By Dustin Smith

HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 19: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota, poses with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy after winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2017 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 19: Martin Truex Jr., driver of the #78 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Toyota, poses with the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship trophy after winning the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 19, 2017 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images) /
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Stage racing was added to the 2017 NASCAR season and needs some tweaking. Would halftime be the answer to keeping everyone happy?

The 2017 season is over and it is time to start looking towards 2018. NASCAR added in “stage racing” in 2017 to add more excitement and create a break time for drivers. However, in my opinion, it didn’t do a whole lot more than disrupt good racing.

In typical NASCAR fashion to attract more fans, top officials of the sport came up with the idea of stage racing. Rather than have races start and end, the decision was made to throw in some brief stoppages to make the races more interesting. The only thing I feel it did for NASCAR was give Martin Truex Jr. a huge points lead over others in the playoffs. Stopping a race twice with cautions before the finish was too much for me.

Trust me, I get where the idea came from. NASCAR was attempting to create excitement by re-stacking the field and giving out bonus points for the top finishers of each stage. However, there were several flaws in the process. A stage would end, and we fans lost 5-8 laps while the cars drive around under caution. Because, of course, the laps under caution had to count.

Teams started cheating the system by pitting three to five laps before the competition caution to get a better starting spot for the second and third rounds. Another reason for stage racing was to limit the amount of “fuel mileage” races, which it did for the most part.

For me, the delay it caused just seemed like more of a bother than anything. For example, there would be a caution on lap 70. The first stage would end at lap 80. Just as the cars get up to speed, the stage would end, slowing down the pace yet again. I watch races every weekend and prefer to see the cars traveling at 180 miles per hour and then some. Watching them follow a car with blinking lights doesn’t do it for me.

What to do instead

Ultimately, I didn’t see anything wrong with the old format. Let the cars complete 500 miles without any cautions for all I care, although I can see how the non-regular fans would struggle to pay attention for that long. That is why I have come up with a solution that pleases both sides of the spectrum.

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It is simple. Add in Halftime. That is it. Instead of breaking up the racing into three parts, provide a stoppage at the half way point. Have all of the cars parked on pit road for a 10 or 15 minute break. Allow crews to do work on the cars. Let the drivers talk to the media and get a chicken sandwich and make a phone call if they want to (that is a Talladega Nights reference for all of those who didn’t catch it). The big thing would be to not count the parade laps at the beginning of each half. It frustrates me to no end when I miss 10-20 laps of racing because a stage ended.

Imagine the 2018 Daytona 500 being split up into two 100-lap segments. This would allow the drivers to have 10-15 minutes during the break to discuss strategies with one another. It also is a fan-friendly move. Fans at the track have time to go to the restroom and concession stand without missing any of the action. Viewers at home would be able to do the same, with the exception of course, being the kitchen instead of the concession stand.

Next: NASCAR: Way-too-early 2018 Team Power Rankings

I like the idea of stage racing. However, I think it hurt the action more than it helped. If NASCAR went with a halftime, they could figure out a way to do the points so drivers gained points at the end of the first half. If not halftime, go back to the good old days of breaks only happening when someone hits the wall or throws a water bottle out of their window. What are your feelings towards stage racing? Would the addition of a halftime be better?

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