What do you think about the changes?

The break between stages seems to drag on forever, but this was intended from the beginning to accommodate TWO commercial breaks, and between them we get pit stops and the highly-anticipated driver interview. So I don't think we'll see that get tightened up.

I'd be OK with that if we truly avoid having as many commercial breaks during green flag running. I'm sure there will be analysis of that coming soon, but I'm not optimistic.

If I watched live I know I would appreciate more green flag action and if you know there will be a 10-15 minute break it frees you up to do other things. Sounds all good to me.
 
It's just another gimmick, fix the damn cars so they race better, shorten the races a little and racing will be better. Nascar is constantly coming up with gimmicks to try to fix the lack of good quality racing and the boring middle part of a race where it is just follow the leader type racing. It is time to make the races shorter, no one wants to sit and watch a race for 300 laps and struggle to stay awake, then have the last 50 or so be the most exciting part of the race. This is why i do not waste my money attending Cup level racing anymore.
 
It's just another gimmick, fix the damn cars so they race better, shorten the races a little and racing will be better. Nascar is constantly coming up with gimmicks to try to fix the lack of good quality racing and the boring middle part of a race where it is just follow the leader type racing. It is time to make the races shorter, no one wants to sit and watch a race for 300 laps and struggle to stay awake, then have the last 50 or so be the most exciting part of the race. This is why i do not waste my money attending Cup level racing anymore.

i'm with ya 100%
 
It's just another gimmick, fix the damn cars so they race better, shorten the races a little and racing will be better. Nascar is constantly coming up with gimmicks to try to fix the lack of good quality racing and the boring middle part of a race where it is just follow the leader type racing. It is time to make the races shorter, no one wants to sit and watch a race for 300 laps and struggle to stay awake, then have the last 50 or so be the most exciting part of the race. This is why i do not waste my money attending Cup level racing anymore.

I totally disagree. Shorter races would suck. I think the stages were good at Daytona and didn't effect the race all that much. If you go shortening the races though, thats even more racing you are missing and still have that boring part in the middle as you say. Shorter races just isn't the answer. Personally I think every Cup race should be 500 miles.

The two shorter races we did see at Daytona were wreck fest and you really couldn't get a grasp in how the stages are going to work in them. I think only one segment at about halfway would be better suited for those two series but I feel like the segments are great for Cup.
 
I know the segments are a gimmick too, but I didn't hate it. So far, so good. I guess it helps to give the appearance they are doing something for these mythical young fans with short attention spans. And it made for a little more strategy. They needed to do more for the regular season to offset the stupidity of how the chase-off is set up. It may end up being a good thing, or maybe there's some unforeseen way for Jimmie Johnson / Knaus to figure it out and use it to their advantage to stomp everyone else, and I'll hate it then.

With the 5 minute rule, I don't know. Seems like you'd be more inclined to put something on the track that's barely held together, as long as it gets up to speed. Still, if it takes you more than 5 minutes to make repairs, you aren't going to be much of a factor in the rest of the race anyway, except maybe in a negative way. On the other hand, we'll miss some guys getting payback on whoever put them out of the race.

For now, the only changes I know I'm 100% positive on is the addition of the Monster Girls.
 
My opinion has known to be wrong......this was pure crap.....not just the segments, the aero package as well. If they can't fix it , put a flat braking turn on the backstretch at both tracks and take the plates off. Give them points for laps lead and let air under the front of the car. Either that or give the races to the Rock, road course or other small bull rings. I will never be fixed because NA$CAR LOVES the big wrecks.
 
Imo, this is all on the Drivers. They are the ones stupid enough to go out and race this crap at Tally and Daytona.
 
Might be in the minority but I hate the 5 minute rule, I just felt that over the course of the weekend you had even more damaged cars out there as teams hurried to get repairs done in the sanctioned time. As for the stages I promised I would give it the first 6-8 races to make a decision. I do think I like the playoff points, adds some semblance of season long performance.

I'm with you regarding the 5 minute rule. I don't get the reasoning behind it at all. Give 'em all the time they need to make the car competitive again and let 'em back on the track already.

The segments seem to be nothing more than pre-determined phantom debris cautions in disguise, designed as much as anything to give the fans the thrill of a re-start with some points thrown in for good measure.

I could do without it considering that segment winners who finish off the pace could possibly earn more over-all points than the race winner.
 
Still undecided on the 5-minute clock. Hopefully the networks can reach the point where they can have it on display soon.

As far as the race format goes - so far, so good. I'll wait to see it changes the game on your more typical venues but restrictor plate racing has certainly been affected. What was usually a boring and pointless affair had a lot more intrigue yesterday with the dash to each stage finish and the differing pit strategies between teams/OEMs. As most others have said though, the length between stages needs to be cut down a bit and I'm glad Steve OD recognizes that.

I'm also of the opinion that Truck/Xfinity races only need two stages. Trucks ran a race in three stages in fewer laps than what it took for Cup to run two stages, and the full Xfinity race length was as long as two stages in Cup. These guys run races that are no more than 300 miles long and with your usual crash-related and mechanical-related cautions I don't think that allows for a great flow.
 
The stages are just another name for a caution clock. That's why they count the laps between stages.
NASCAR hasn't counted laps between stages for the Clash or the All-Star races in the past. If they're going to count the laps, then call them what they are: scheduled competition cautions.

I have no opinion of the 5-minute clock, good or bad. I don't like the ban on replacing body panels, and I suspect that's what many people who complain about the clock are really upset about.
 
Last edited:
Why throw a caution at the end of a segment? Gatorade sponsored the halfway challenge leader and at the halfway point got 10k IIRC. Why count those laps as part of the racing distance when obviously they're not.
Only reason to throw a caution is to bunch up the field and let the carnage begin. it eliminates the riding around for lap upon lap.
Seems nascrap is doing everything it can to PO real fans in order to attract new, younger fans who don't give a poop........

If I want to see a demo derby I go to my local track,not Daytona
Daytona and 'Dega, demo derbies? For decades, dude.
 
Daytona wasnt all that bad but I will wait for a "normal" race to really decide. I guess we are kinda stuck with it anyway so I try to make the best of it
 
Meaning if you think NASCAR (read: ISC) is going to make any changes to Daytona, Talladega, or restrictor plate racing, you're kidding yourself.

Nor should they.

The amazing skill of the drivers, as displayed yesterday, while participating in this motorized chess match can not be showcased on a mere mortal race track.
 
Daytona and Talladega have always had wrecks. You are fooling yourself if you watch a race at either and expect green flag racing all day. I was surprised at the amount that we got in the 500 and expected a lot more wrecks but there was a lot of green flag racing for Daytona in my opinion.
 
After one race, it's too hard to tell how much of the race was due to the rule changes, and how much was Daytona. I'll wait until about five races in, before I can see if the changes make that much difference.
 
I think they should just leave the green flag out and keep racing between segments. No reason to have a caution for 15 minutes.
Knowing that the yellow is coming then the TV could take more advantage and show their ads during the yellow and thus show more green flag racing without commercial interruption. But as we saw yesterday they didn't really do that.
 
I know the trendy thing on this board is to rail against NASCAR and criticize any changes as gimmicks that don't honor old racing.

Screw that though I like the stages.

First because it rewards drivers who perform well during the race. I hated when a guy was good all day then got dumped on the second to last lap and got a 35th place finish with nothing to show for all the speed they had.

Second it makes watching the race more exciting because it adds another dimension to the strategy. I enjoyed watching the different manufacturers trying different pit strategies and seeing who would duck in three laps before the caution. I think it will be even better at 1.5 mile tracks.

To those that say the changes suck and they don't attend races....to me the highlight of going to races is tailgating with my friends (and new friends I meet), seeing and hearing the cars go by, and being in person to watch them battle it out. No rule changes have diminished that experience for me.

If you're still angry....just sit at home be miserable and yell at people for walking on your grass.
 
Stage racing is entertaining.

I did make it back to my seat to watch the end of every stage -- so my "wander around time" during this Daytona 500 was more structured...
 
The attrition didn't bother me as much yesterday, after all it is a 500 mile race. Perservence should be part or the winners story and it obviously was yesterday.

Yesterday almost every driver got some damage and all of them navigated a mine field. But you still had to be fast to win.

And the segments helped yesterday, a lot less cruise control strategy happened with the almost guaranteed caution segments. And I realize that the caution fest was easy enough to anticipate. But with the segments at least hanging in the back wasn't a desirable option. At least the Gibbs strategy of early pits was about leading for the segments, not hanging around in the back for the first 150 laps like last October.

Note to self: Got my February icky sweet Nascar positive post in, can resume with the sheetflinging now.
 
I totally disagree. Shorter races would suck. I think the stages were good at Daytona and didn't effect the race all that much. If you go shortening the races though, thats even more racing you are missing and still have that boring part in the middle as you say. Shorter races just isn't the answer. Personally I think every Cup race should be 500 miles.

The two shorter races we did see at Daytona were wreck fest and you really couldn't get a grasp in how the stages are going to work in them. I think only one segment at about halfway would be better suited for those two series but I feel like the segments are great for Cup.
How was any of that racing over the weekend actually good? There was more crashing than ever, I want to see my favorite drivers racing at the end of the race, not being interviewed in the garage! Shorten the races to no more than 300 miles, have heat qualifiers, 4 heats of 10 cars to determine starting spots. None of this segment BS, like I said Nascar doesn't fix things, they come up with a gimmick to hide the problem which in turn usually makes the problem worse!
 
How was any of that racing over the weekend actually good? There was more crashing than ever, I want to see my favorite drivers racing at the end of the race, not being interviewed in the garage! Shorten the races to no more than 300 miles, have heat qualifiers, 4 heats of 10 cars to determine starting spots. None of this segment BS, like I said Nascar doesn't fix things, they come up with a gimmick to hide the problem which in turn usually makes the problem worse!
They've been crashing at Daytona for as long as I've watched this sport. Wasn't any different this past Sunday.

Everyone's got ideas but they just don't appeal to everyone else. There is no way in heck that I want to see shorter races. Heats? Nope, not that either.
 
They've been crashing at Daytona for as long as I've watched this sport. Wasn't any different this past Sunday.

Everyone's got ideas but they just don't appeal to everyone else. There is no way in heck that I want to see shorter races. Heats? Nope, not that either.
How many cars were running at the end of the race?
 
Back
Top Bottom