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Stage racing was created by NASCAR to keep drivers from cruising until the final quarter of the race. The racers knew there would be a caution late in the going – real or imagined – that bunched up the field and they often waited for it before mashing the accelerator.
Stage racing changed that. With up to 10 points for each stage and a bonus point for winning the segment, the roughly one quarter and halfway mark of each race took on added significance. With 12 winners in the first 16 races of 2022, no matter what happens in the next 10 races, points matter as much or more than ever before.
Currently only four playoff positions are available for drivers without wins. Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr., Christopher Bell, and Kevin Harvick each seek their first win of 2022 and it’s hard to imagine that at least two of them won’t find Victory Lane in one of these final regular season races. If the Playoff 16 gets overfilled with 17 or more winners, the points’ standings will be the tiebreaker, so once again, there is no room to slack.
And then there is the ever-important playoff point that goes to the winner of each stage. If Blaney qualifies for the playoffs, he has four bonus points available to him for winning stages and with the playoff grid shrinking from 16 to 12 to eight to four, advancing from one round to another can come down to a single point.
Chase Elliott, Ross Chastain, William Byron, and Truex have won three stages and look to add to that tally in the next 10 events, which features 20 chances to win one of these valuable points.
So far, 16 drivers have won stages, so those points are evenly distributed. Seven drivers have banked more than 100 points to their championship total, however, so there is a difference between the haves and have nots in that regard.
Elliott currently leads the series in points earned with 136. His three stage wins at Charlotte Motor Speedway and both of the first two stages of Martinsville Speedway give him a slight advantage over everyone except Blaney – and for now, the No. 12 is not locked into the playoffs. What may prove to be a little frustrating when the final points are tallied is that he finished second in five stages and that could come back to haunt the No. 9 team.
Elliott does not have much of a lead over Joey Logano, who was one of the top performers in this category over the past two seasons. Logano has two stage wins to his credit and he’s come in second twice, but he has the distinction of earning points the most times in 23 times of a possible 33. With two wins to his credit, Logano is officially locked into the playoffs. That allows him to roll the dice, which is precisely what he did last week to win Stage 2 at Sonoma Raceway.
Ross Chastain has been one of the top performers this year as Trackhouse Racing is establishing themselves as a powerhouse. Chastain has been strong from start to finish with three stage wins to his credit and top-five finishes on 12 occasions. With 120 points to his credit, he is tied with William Byron for third on this list, but we will give him the tiebreaker because he’s scored points in one more stage.
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Byron got off to a strong start, but he’s lost some of his momentum. He has not scored points in a stage since the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway and hasn’t won a stage since he drew the No. 1 ball in the Talladega Superspeedway lottery in Stage 2. If the No. 24 team is experimenting, they need to go back to basics to avoid limping into the playoffs. Like Logano and Chastain, Byron is locked into the big show with two wins, which gives him 13 playoff points.
Blaney is the highest-ranked non-winner in the first 16 races, but if four new drivers visit Victory Lane, that won’t matter. He’s in a tight battle with Truex, which means the 11 extra points he’s earned in the stages could make a huge difference, especially if the playoff roster accepts only one driver on points.
Kyle Larson is not having the season everyone expected and that is showing up throughout the race. Granted, a series of mishaps and mistakes at the start of the season set him back, but with only one win and two stage bonus points, he is at risk of entering the playoffs without any advantage. That is not how his title defense should go.
Truex is in a similar situation to Blaney. His points and three stage wins will not make any difference if he does not make the playoffs. Truex currently sits three spots above the bubble and is safe for a race or two, but the playoff scenario is changing literally every week. He’s finished in the top five in a stage only once since a strong Darlington Raceway run in early May and that came at World Wide Technology Raceway two weeks ago.
Denny Hamlin joins Chastain, Byron, and Logano as one of the drivers locked into the playoffs with multiple wins. His two victories and two stage wins would give him 12 bonus points entering the final 10 races and that is great news for a driver who has alternately struggled in almost every other race. If he limps into the playoffs, he is going to need every advantage he can get.
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Chasing 16
Average Running Position: Dover through Sonoma
Driver Rating: Martinsville through Kansas
