NASCAR announces race stage lengths

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.

Stage lengths for the Camping World Truck and Xfinity Series events at Daytona have also been announced. The Truck Series race at Daytona on Feb. 24 will be 100 laps in length. The first and second stages of the NextEra Energy Resources 250 will be 20 laps. The final stage will be 60 laps.

The Xfinity Series race at Daytona on Feb. 25 will be 120 laps in length. The first and second stages of the Powershares QQQ 300 will be 30 laps. The final stage will be 60 laps.

Stage lengths for races beyond Daytona for the Xfinity and Truck Series have not yet been announced