What are stages and how do they work in NASCAR?

For those who watch NASCAR every week, the answer is fairly obvious. But for the uninitiated, the concept of stage racing might be difficult to wrap your head around. It’s not something seen in most other forms of motorsports, but it’s been commonplace in NASCAR for almost a decade. So if you’re a new fan and wondering what exactly stage racing is all about, you’ve come to the right place! 

How do stages work?

Excluding NASCAR’s longest race (the Coca-Cola 600), every points-paying race on the schedule features three stages. The length of these stages are not set in stone and vary from race-to-race, but at least one sorta common thread is that the third and final stage tends to be the longest.

The end of the stage is marked by a green-and-white checkered flag, and a mandatory caution period that follows, freezing as they cross the finish line. The field will then have the opportunity to pit for fresh tires and a full load of fuel, if they choose to. They function just like any other yellow flag period at that point.

Why were stages introduced?

NASCAR felt the need to break up their three to four hour-long races with the inclusion of stage breaks. This was and remains a fairly controversial aspect of the sport as it artificially interferes with the natural flow of the race, but it also has its advantages. A caution will erase any advantage the leaders have gained and bring the field back together, keeping the field packed tightly together and preventing runaways. It also forces drivers to race harder earlier in these events.

It’s also provides a good opportunity for the broadcast partner to get in some commercial breaks without cutting away under green-flag conditions.

What do drivers care about stages

So, the stages don’t just serve as a mandatory caution to bunch up the field. They have a direct impact on the championship. The top ten finishers in each stage score stage points. It’s fairly simple as the stage winner gets ten points, second gets nine, third gets eight, and so on. This could be huge, with one position on track (besides the gap from 1st to 2nd) worth one point each, so winning two stages is like earning twenty spots on tracks.

How do stages change the racing?

Stages have also had a major impact on the way these races play out. Strategies have evolved to reflect their inclusion and this is extremely apparent at road courses and the few ovals where pitting under green doesn’t cost drivers a lap. Some drivers will short-pit in these situations, making a stop before the stage ends in order to gain track position for the restart to follow. They will sacrifice stage points as a result, doing so with the belief that the track position gained will be worth it in the end. At the other end of the spectrum, drivers who haven’t been running up front or need points for championship-related reasons will stay and scoop up the stage points left on the table. 

The stages also lead to a lot more fuel saving at drafting tracks with teams knowing exactly when cautions will fall and have caused crew chiefs to simply split certain stages in half when choosing when to pit. They've even resulted in wrecks as drivers scrap for every position during portions of the race when they would normally conserving their equipment, sometimes pushing the limit just a bit too far.