[h=2]NASCAR announces race stage lengths[/h] Wednesday, 08 February 2017


Kelly Crandall / Image by LAT

The season-opening Daytona 500 on Feb.26 will kick off the new era in NASCAR of stage races. The 200-lap event will be run in three stages, as will all NASCAR national series events this year.
The format will see drivers who finish in the top 10 in the first two stages receiving additional points toward their race totals. Drivers who win a stage will be rewarded with one playoff point. The driver who wins the race will be rewarded with five playoff points.


The stage breakdown for the Daytona 500 is 60-60-80. The first and second stages for the Daytona 500 will consist of 60 laps. The final stage to determine the winner of the 59th annual "Great American Race" will be 80 laps.
NASCAR revealed the stage lengths for the Daytona 500 as well as all other races during Speedweeks on Wednesday. For the first time, the two Can-Am Duel races that set the field for the Daytona 500 will now reward points. Both races will be 60 laps in length with the top 10 finishers in each race earning points.