Kyle Larson said the quiet part out loud about NASCAR's biggest gimmick

While the new NASCAR postseason format has quieted a lot of the criticism that existed during the "win and in", knockout playoff era, any NASCAR fan will tell you that the old elimination-style format is far from the only gimmick that NASCAR has implemented over the years in an attempt to spice up competition.

One such gimmick is stage racing, which, for some reason, always seems to get a pass when discussing totally unnecessary elements of NASCAR racing.

We all heard what Carl Edwards had to say about the possibility of stage racing, just a few years before it was implemented in 2017. Back then, drivers weren't afraid to speak their minds, much less when what they were speaking was basically obvious to anybody and everybody.

Yet since stage racing's implementaion, nobody seems to be allowed to criticize it.

Now Kyle Larson is speaking out.

"We're the only series that gives out those little participation awards mid-competition," the two-time and reigning champion said during media availability at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past weekend.

Seriously, what's the point of a 500-mile race if you're giving out points depending on where you're running after 150 miles, and then again after 300 miles? Like Edwards said in 2012, it's no longer a single race. It's a 150-mile race, another 150-mile race, and then a 200-mile race that's worth more.

And even though it's worth more, you can still win a race and not lead all drivers in total points scored. Yes, this is still true in 2026, even after NASCAR boosted the value of wins (but nothing else) by 15 points.

A driver can finish a race in 22nd and finish second in total points scored. In other words, if he's good through those first 300 miles, why not sit back and relax a bit during the final 200?

It's ridiculous.

I get not wanting drivers' days to be ruined by a late incident or mechanical issue if they've run well. But again, it's a 500-mile race for a reason. And as the saying goes, when it comes to in-race incidents, "that's racing." Period.

I know some fans won't like the stick-and-ball sport reference, but how many bonus points do we give NFL teams for leading at halftime? How many bonus runs do we give to MLB teams for leading after the sixth inning in a postseason game?

Everyone knows stage racing is a total gimmick. Certainly every old-school fan knows it; it's impossible to defend stage racing while also longing for the golden age of NASCAR. It's self-contradictory.

Credit to Larson for actually having the guts to say it in an era where drivers very rarely deviate from the corporate-approved PR messaging set forth by the sanctioning body.

The funny thing about the old Championship 4 format is that for as criticized as it was, NASCAR eliminated stage points for all championship drivers in the Championship 4.

What does that tell you?

It's almost like they know that results are the only thing that should matter when it comes time to crown a champion.

And given the Chase points reset, it's entirely possible that running 10th instead of 11th on some random lap in a mid-March race could decide the championship.

It's also possible that someone could clinch the championship in the middle of the championship race, based on bonus points scored in stages, rather than at the end of the race, when the actual results are determined.

Stage points are literally just there for the gimmick. They're there to create an artificial element of competition that doesn't need to exist. The fact that, in the new 10-race Chase format, stage racing still exists is laughable.

Larson knows it. So does every other driver in the field. And so does every fan who actually means what they say when they complain about just how many gimmicks NASCAR has tried over the years.

At least it's not as bad as perennial 25th place drivers winning the "In-Season Challenge".

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