What’s Happening?

The topic of stage cautions is controversial itself, but, one aspect of this controversy is how long stage cautions are. Stage cautions without an accompanying incident this season have been either the 2nd or 3rd longest cautions of the day despite there being nothing on the track to clean up. Why are these stage cautions so long, and what can NASCAR do to fix it?

• Stage cautions have been a part of the sport since stage racing was implemented in 2017. NASCAR has tinkered with stage cautions very little throughout the years since.
• Stage cautions tend longer than regular cautions despite the caution not being for an incident on the race track. One would think that a caution for an accident or debris would take a bit longer because of the amount of time NASCAR has to take to clean up the track.
• Fans are split on the idea of stage racing and stage cautions. Some like it, but, others do not like it.

Why Are Stage Cautions So Long?

The Original Intent of Stage Racing

When NASCAR first implemented stage racing in 2017, the reason given to the public was simple, make the racing “better”. Both Brian France and Steve O’Donnell said so when the format was introduced in January of 2017.

This was seemingly achieved through two factors. One, the stage points awarded during the race would force drivers to race hard for points earlier in the race instead of waiting to arrive at the pay window at the end of the race. Secondly, the scheduled cautions would bunch the field back up for at least two restarts throughout the race, meaning the races would not get too spread out over long green flag runs.

Again, this is a highly controversial topic, and for more on stage racing itself, check out the article above. However, this does not answer the question about why stage cautions are so long? Like we mentioned, there is usually no debris to be picked up or cars to tow back to the garage, so, what gives?

Broadcast Commercial Time?

NASCAR has never disclosed this publicly, but, one popular theory about the length of stage cautions is commercial time for TV companies. NASCAR is not like other sports where the game stops for a brief period to allow for commercials, the race continues no matter what.

What stage racing allows for is a guaranteed time in the race where TV networks know they can get advertisements in. If NASCAR simply holds the green flag for a little bit longer, that means more commercial time.

Caution flags are the perfect time for a commercial break because the cars are not actively racing. They are just puttering around under caution, waiting for the race to restart. Every stage break usually has one or maybe two commercial breaks thrown in there with live coverage for pit stops and the restart of the race.

This is a double-edged sword for fans. For the fans at home, more commercials under caution mean they are missing less green flag racing. For those at the track, it means there are two times throughout the race when there is no active racing happening.

There’s also the issue of how it messes with pit strategy. On road courses, teams often have to choose whether or not to go for stage points or strategize for the win. Stage racing also simplifies race strategy on oval tracks, with the focus on getting to the end of each stage instead of getting to the end of the race.

How Can NASCAR Fix It?

Stage cautions are long breaks in the action, so, can NASCAR fix it? There are a couple of solutions that we came up with.

Not Counting Stage Caution Laps

One thing NASCAR can do is something they already do at races like the Clash. To allow for stage cautions to not eat into the overall race distance, simply do not count the stage caution laps. Let the cars ride around under caution, but, the laps do not start counting again until the green flag waves. Caution laps for cautions for cause would count in this scenario.

While this would guarantee that fans are not missing laps under these cautions, there are some drawbacks. Number one, this is a major gimmick, and racing purists would not be a fan of caution laps not counting for a major professional stock car race. It also could mess with pit strategy because teams are burning fuel under caution with the laps not counting.

Get rid of Stage Cautions

One thing that NASCAR tried one year ago was getting rid of stage cautions on road courses. This was primarily done to keep teams from making the choice between stage points and track positions at the end of each stage.

If NASCAR were to do this, it would get rid of the long stage cautions, but, it also means that more commercials would come during green flag racing. TV networks need to pay their bills somehow, and if the advertisements do not run under caution, they will run under green. On top of that, the racing product on road courses and short tracks is not great, so, some fans like seeing more restarts at these races.

Should NASCAR find a solution to long-stage cautions? Is there a better one out there that we did not include?