The decision was a controversial one. Back when stage racing was introduced in 2017, the NASCAR world was divided by the change in format. Sure, it gave drivers an incentive to push for points throughout the races, but stage cautions also broke up the natural flow of the race, forcing drivers to reset and influencing long-term strategy. Stock car racing fans don\u2019t want to see drivers lifting to save fuel, a factor that played a big role in the 2025 Coke Zero Sugar 400.<\/p>\n
And now, Dale Earnhardt Jr. has shared a controversial stage racing idea to help solve what is arguably the biggest superspeedway issue. Wanting drivers to go all guns blazing as soon as the green flag drops, the veteran urged NASCAR to potentially explore a radical option, one that wouldn\u2019t force drivers to pit or go into \u2018fuel saving\u2019 mode at Daytona or Talladega.<\/p>\n
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. doesn\u2019t want races to be decided by fuel mileage<\/p>\n
\u201cI went into max fuel-save mode,\u201d said Ryan Blaney after the checkered flag was waved at Daytona International Speedway. The Team Penske driver led 27 out of 160 laps at the \u2018World Center of Racing\u2019 to take his second triumph of the season, finishing third and fifth in the opening two stages, respectively.<\/p>\n
With the stakes being high in the final race of the regular season, fans wanted drivers to hit the pedal to the metal as soon as the race began. And even though the opening 35 laps didn\u2019t need fuel saving, Xfinity Series driver Jeb Burton couldn\u2019t help but say, \u201cWe need to add an extra stage in these races to end this fuel saving cr-p.\u201d He wasn\u2019t alone.<\/p>\n
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Dale Earnhardt Jr.<\/a> also shared a wild stage racing idea that might potentially solve the existing stage issues on superspeedways. Sharing his thoughts on the Dale Jr. Download podcast, the veteran said, \u201cThe only way you could probably do that for the rest of the race was to be able to add a fourth stage, which some people talked about. Like at Charlotte, 600, we have four stages. So, if we were to struggle going forward and continue to have boring a-s fuel-saving style racing at Daytona or Talladega, the idea would be, one of the ideas on the table, I assume, would be to add a fourth stage, so that every stage is not a fuel mileage situation.\u201d<\/p>\n Junior\u2019s solution is fairly straightforward. The 2025 Coke Zero Sugar 400 had 160 scheduled laps, which can potentially be divided into 40 laps per stage. As things stand, the existing format has stage lengths that force at least one pit stop in the longer segments, essentially making superspeedway races a battle of fuel mileage and efficiency rather than being the \u2018fastest\u2019 car on the track.<\/p>\n In an ideal scenario, drivers shouldn\u2019t have to choose between pitting under a stage break, gambling on green flag runs, or conserving fuel until the next caution. Fans just want to see some high-octane action.<\/p>\n View this post on Instagram<\/p>\n And that\u2019s exactly what Dale Earnhardt Jr. wants to see as well: Drivers not lifting during races. He said, \u201cThat guarantees me as a fan that I shouldn\u2019t see my driver, and all the drivers riding around half a throttle, because they can get to the end of the stage without running out of fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n Short sprints force drivers to go flat out, encouraging aggressive, no-holds-barred competition. Ultimately, the fastest driver should win, not the one who outlasts his opponents with a shrewd fuel-saving strategy. What\u2019s the fun in that? Perhaps the time has come for NASCAR to reconsider its superspeedway format once again.<\/p>\n Stage racing continues to divide the community<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the race at Bristol Motor Speedway<\/a> ended with a 235 green-flag run. That was the longest in the Cup Series since Dover in 1997, more than 27 years ago. It almost felt like a sneak peek into a bygone era, one where races weren\u2019t influenced by mandatory cautions. Fans just want to see uninterrupted racing, and while many feel stages need to be removed altogether, others feel NASCAR should ditch the mandatory stage cautions to allow the race to flow naturally.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n