NASCAR to implement new stage break procedure this weekend

NASCAR will begin using a new stage break procedure this weekend at Iowa Speedway in which a stage will be called early if a caution falls within the final 10 laps.

It will be effective for all three NASCAR national series for the remainder of the year. The move is aimed at reducing the amount of time spent under the yellow flag and comes in response to criticism, most recently after Indianapolis Motor Speedway, of lengthy caution periods.

The updated procedure is as follows:

• If a caution falls within 10 or fewer laps prior to the advertised end of Stage 1 or Stage 2, the stage will be deemed official at the time of caution. The leader will return to the start/finish line to receive the green and checkered flag along with the yellow. The caution process that follows will serve as the stage break.
• The top 10 stage finishing order will be determined using all available resources, just as it is whenever points are paid.

“We heard you, we want to make a change,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said in a video posted on the sport’s official social media pages. “So starting this weekend in Iowa, if a caution comes out 10 laps prior to a stage break, that is going to count as the stage break. No more back-to-back cautions, no more elongated caution laps. More green flag racing. More action for you, the fans.

“I want to thank you because you helped push this. Your passion for the sport has helped us make changes more quickly. I want to applaud the industry; they’ve come together with the Chase, new superspeedway package at Daytona, looking at some things on the short tracks, and now really try to speed up the cautions. It’s not going to be perfect, but we’re going to learn from this and continue to innovate.”

Indianapolis had natural cautions fall before the end of both stages of the Cup Series race on July 26. NASCAR chose to go back to green with one lap remaining in the first stage. But in the second stage, the caution dragged out through the stage break. In both incidents, the field spent over 20 minutes under caution.