re: 2025 NASCAR Season Thread - 2025-26 Offseason

I get that, but just IMHO a race should finish under green.

Take yesterday as an example. If we didn't count caution laps then the caution with 14 to go would have given us 14 green flag laps. If we didn't have OT, then the last 14 laps would have been less than 2 green flag laps with two cautions on the backstretch eating away 12 of the final laps under caution. So under the old rules we have two racing incidents end the race.

I agree OT and unnatural GWC should go away, but I just have a different view on how to resolve it. The final stretch of the final run should be only green flag laps counted. Force strategy and the driver and the guy on top of the pit box to win and not hope they are leading with 5 to go and a caution takes several laps to clean up.

I used to like GWC rule. But most times the car who should win doesn’t. All because of too much pushing and shoving during a 2 lap shootout. It creates a wildcard winner not the real winner who worked hard all day - only to have some backmarker cause a caution and ruin the leaders race.

As for points the stages are dumb fake stoppages but its the only way Nascar can manufacture some fun because the car sucks. So lesser teams just milk the stages for points. On road courses its horrible as backmarkers or close to cutoff teams like to stay out to get fake points they never earned on the track only via gift. Then they pit a lap later. How can we award them points when in 15th but stay out while leaders all pit.

As for the Chase, get rid of it. If not then only have cars who won during season. Face it, if you never won a single race you don’t deserve to win it all either. And don’t count plate tracks as a win for Chase too much wildcard. This would cut it down to around 12 teams maybe even less.

Then don’t have any cutoffs, last 10 races determine the winner straight up This gives plenty of type tracks and in case motor blows or you get wrecked by a non chaser.

Looking at points now if no chase we likely have a lot of cars close in points who could win on a straight end of season winner if we didn’t reset.

We’re not that far apart but do have some differences in opinion.

The GWC has cost so many drivers wins which it sucks for a team who did employ great strategy all race long.

As for stage points I don’t like it. Too many drivers/focus on that vs winning the race. They gamble in getting points vs a strategy that will win them the race. What if NFL ranked teams by how many quarters they won. Would change the game.

We dot agree and thats fine. My take is we missed all the strategy of green flag pit stops. That teats crews and we miss the strategic calls. Do you stay out longer and gamble on worse tires or pit early and try to hold on when your tires wear where the late pitters tires last longer than yours.

Used to be some great strategic races which gave excitement to the times when field was spread out. Now they intentionally bunch them up hoping for wrecks.

I friggin’ love this that just hit YouTube today. Jackie Stewart was one of my boyhood heroes.

The only reason GWC exists is because a bunch of cretinous Junior fans got butthurt over Jeff Gordon winning under caution at Talladega and acted like animals and instead of having them all arrested NASCAR kowtowed to them and changed the rules.

I despise GWC with the intensity of the flames of hell.

Go ahead, folks, downvote me.

Peter Manso's book about Stewart, "Faster", is excellent.

Love how they try and disguise that it lost 20% over last year by trying to blame rain delay when that was at end of race.

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Linear vs cable. Cup on Fox and NBC puts up the best numbers in motorsports. Cup on FS1, Tru, TNT, TBS, NBCSN, USA etc. does better than anything else the networks put on there.

I grew up watching NASCAR in the 90's with my Dad. Those times along with the early 2000's will always have a fond place in my heart. I find it hard to watch any races regularly now, but I try to at least watch the 12 minute highlights after the race is complete.

1) This generation of car, in my opinion, races poorly more often than not. It seems like for every good race we have that we have at least 2 or 3 snoozers. Maybe it's always been like that.

1a) Can they please do something about this car? Can we make plans to increase HP or use a compound of tire that actually makes the driver have to choose how to run? Maybe it's taking away some down force? Please do something. Infinity is much more entertaining race IMO at the moment.

2) I HATE STAGES. It's manufactured drama. It feels like we have so many fuel mileage races just due to there being planned cautions. If you want to keep stage points, just award them as they run without a caution.

HM) Move the numbers back to the door.

Some things that I personally like:

- I enjoy being able to get on HBO max and watch in car cameras. It's especially helpful after wrecks or if there is some drama. I can rewind and watch as the race is happening.

- I am probably in the minority, but I like that NASCAR is trying to use different media sources for the races. It creates a little competition which will hopefully make the overall product better. I hated that it was hard to switch channels when it was on Prime but the product was pretty good. Hopefully this will force some innovation!