Regarding the popular suggestion to not count laps between stages

[Charlie Spencer]

I know how not counting caution laps works in short track racing, where by and large fuel mileage is not a concern and planned pit stops don't exist.

However, if NASCAR didn't "count“ the caution laps between segments, how would they score a car that sits in the pits for five laps while the rest of the field goes around and around? Wouldn't a car running near the back be able to gain a fuel mileage advantage that way? You can't go laps down by not running laps that don't exist. There are myriad other scoring issues that could emerge.

I'm sure the answer is that they would come up with a completely subjective rule requiring all drivers to complete all caution laps that aren't laps, except for when they feel like making an exception, ala the 100% rule.

I'm late to this party, but I say handle the stage caution laps the same way they handle stoppage time in soccer. Count the laps during the stage cautions, but keep track of how many of them there are. Then add that many green flag laps to the final stage. It shouldn't throw off strategy, since crew chiefs will know how many extra laps will be added as soon as the third stage starts.