NASCAR Official Elton Sawyer says that, despite discussion amongst officials, NASCAR is not considering modifying stage lengths to subvert fuel saving at superspeedway races.
Towards the conclusion of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season, Mike Forde, NASCAR’s Managing Director of Communications, claimed on NASCAR’s Hauler Talk podcast that officials were discussing stage lengths at superspeedway races.
These discussions were focused on the aggressive fuel-saving tactics used by teams during these races, which usually result in lower speeds and massive pack racing as drivers go part throttle for significant portions of the race.
Forde even went as far as to say that NASCAR, though it was seriously considered, thought about adding a fourth stage to these four races to alleviate this fuel saving.
What’s Happening? NASCAR’s Mike Forde confirms that in response to fans’ complaints about fuel saving during superspeedway races, NASCAR has discussed…
Thursday, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Competition Elton Sawyer again confirmed that these discussions about stage lengths were happening, though he says a conflict of opinion is playing a role in stalling any advancements towards this idea.
Sawyer told the media that while he hears talk of fuel saving, fans seem to react positively to the three and even four-wide pack rumbling around the track.
While fans and industry members like Dale Earnhardt Jr were disappointed by this news, the real topic of conversation sparked by this was Sawyer saying that fans enjoyed the current superspeedway racing product.
Many online are pointing out that while fuel saving is frustrating, the current state of superspeedway racing is even more irritating.
Even when drivers aren’t worried about fuel, the NASCAR Next Gen car is gridlocked, resulting in difficult passing.
This is a sentiment amongst some drivers, as 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick shared on the Door Bumper Clear podcast last fall, “the reason we’re saving fuel is because when we’re going all out, we can’t pass one another.” With Reddick then saying:
“With this car, it’s so disheartening at times, right? You want to be aggressive when you’re sitting 20th, but your only hope of marching forward is by just hoping other people get impatient.” — Tyler Reddick, September 2, on Door Bumper Clear.
What’s Happening? During a discussion on Door Bumper Clear about superspeedway racing, 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick spoke about the “disheartening”…
Others are still focusing on the addition of another stage or modifying stage lengths, as, first of all, a large portion of fans do not like stages, and second of all, fans and drivers alike aren’t stepping up to the plate to support another stage.
Just last fall, Dale Earnhardt Jr called the idea a “nothing burger.”
“I know that everyone doesn’t love this idea of the fourth stage, but I’m telling you, it’s a nothing burger because we don’t look at the 600 and go, ‘ah damn, that fourth stage.’ Nobody even cares. . . I don’t think anybody even picks up on the idea that it’s even in there. You know what I mean?” — Dale Earnhardt Jr., September 16, on The Dale Jr Download.
What’s Happening? During the latest episode of the Dale Jr Download, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr addressed recent talks that NASCAR…
Nonetheless, after the checkered flag falls next weekend at Daytona, expect fuel saving, passing, and pack racing to be the heated discussion of the week, just as it has been the past few seasons.
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