It can be said without a doubt that the NASCAR community just can’t take it anymore. When the organization introduced stage racing in 2017, it wasn’t about subtlety; it was about control. The sport openly admitted it wanted to manufacture excitement for fans, with then-CEO Brian France promising the format would “strengthen the sport for our fans” and deliver more “moments that matter.” But what NASCAR pitched as a fan-favorite innovation hasn’t aged well.

Instead of fixing racing, stage breaks may have exposed a bigger problem, and the fans aren’t staying quiet this time.

The problem with stage racing

When NASCAR introduced stage racing, it was pitched as a way to make every lap matter, especially in the sport’s biggest crown jewel events like the Daytona 500, by giving drivers opportunities to earn points throughout the race instead of only at the finish.

This was done to break races into built-in segments for fans, broadcasters, and competitors alike, with drivers earning points at the end of the first two stages and playoff points that carried into the postseason.

However, especially at marquee events such as the Daytona 500, for tradition and uninterrupted green flag competition, which was once the signature, many fans now feel the artificial breaks cheapen the experience and interrupt the natural ebb and flow of a long race.

The stage cautions make crown jewel races feel like three sprint segments rather than one historic endurance contest, and the interruptions break rhythm and dilute the emotional arc of iconic events.

And while the drivers settle into a long-run rhythm or fuel-saving strategies that once produced dramatic finishes, stage breaks impose predetermined cautions that bunch the field and reset strategies on a timer.

This has turned strategy into a mathematical exercise. Pit just before a stage ends, or stay out to collect bonus points and then gamble on track position.

The predictable nature of when cautions will fall leads to fuel-saving tactics that flatten green flag action, particularly at superspeedways like Daytona, where drivers and crews optimize for stages rather than pure racing.

This makes it feel manufactured like a choreography and dims the light of organic competition.

NASCAR has already experimented with reducing or eliminating automatic cautions at stage ends on road courses to let those races flow more naturally, an implicit admission that the format isn’t one size fits all.

NASCAR is actively studying changes to its playoff format for 2026, and while nothing is guaranteed, the existence of stage racing is bound up with how the playoff currently works.

The 16-driver, four-round chase format, unchanged in its core since stage racing and playoff points were introduced in 2017, rewards consistent performance throughout the season, including stage wins that deliver crucial playoff points.

But no one knows what the next season will bring for the playoff system; however, the fans are living in the present. And they didn’t hesitate to voice their concerns about stage racing.

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NASCAR fans rally against stage racing

The whole thing kicked off with the kind of energy usually reserved for a table-flipping debate. Somebody dropped the hammer on Reddit with, “Permanently eliminate it everywhere.”

This didn’t stop another fan from jumping in and raising the bar with, “Yes, and this means stages entirely. It baffles me how many people want to keep the stages but without cautions. That still kills the flow of a full race, which is what NASCAR is all about.”

The fans do not want NASCAR to try to fix anything because whatever interrupts the natural rhythm of a race is apparently public enemy number one. Then comes the repetition phase, which somehow makes the point even stronger. “⁠I want them to eliminate it everywhere lol,” one said.

Another fan goes full wish-list mode and clears out after the rulebook, saying, “Dump the stages, dump the playoff points. Go back to awarding points for fastest lap, leading a lap, and/or most laps led. None of this stage racing stuff. But of course, NASCAR won’t listen to what the fans want.”

The last line hits like a dramatic sigh, equal parts sarcasm and resignation.

By the end, the complaints stopped being random and started sounding like a mission statement. One goes scorched earth with “Blow anything up that could delegitimize the champ,” which is about as subtle as a burnout on pit road.

And just to make sure no one missed the point, another fan sealed it with, “⁠I want stage racing gone for every race. I cannot think of positive aspect it brings. I especially hate when the winner of a race doesn’t score the most points.”

Fans want true winners, and if stage racing messes with that, it has got to go.