how long does a NASCAR race last
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How Many Hours Is A NASCAR Race?
As with any sport, NASCAR races take a specific amount of time to complete. Many people say that the races are far too long in order to keep the viewers’ attention. NASCAR races tend to be longer than other motorsports such as Formula 1 and IndyCar.
The usual NASCAR race lasts around 3 hours. However, races can sometime run for longer. The races are split into different stages, where points are awarded in each stage. The length of races can be affected by weather and red flags
There is a lot to consider when it comes to the length of a NASCAR race. The amount of time it takes to complete the race differs between circuits, racing conditions, and weather conditions. There have been races in the past that lasted upwards of 6 hours.
Are NASCAR races too long?
In an era where the average American cannot even watch a two hour movie, how can they be expected to watch a four or five hour race? While other racing series still draw in audiences, the sad fact is that NASCAR is dying a slow and painful death.
There are still the diehard fans that tune in every week, but the casual fan gets bored watching drivers circle around the track for 400-plus miles. I enjoy my weekends of sitting down and watching hours of NASCAR coverage, but would our sport attract more fans if we cut even 100 miles off of the longer tracks?
Many of the reviews I read about Pocono say “boring until last 50 laps”, “too long”, etc.
The same can be said for most of the longer tracks where drivers settle into a routine of follow the leader for most of the race. Even Talladega (which I find to be one of the most intense tracks on the circuit) has its boring moments during races. If races were shortened or the high level of late race activity continued through all of the laps, NASCAR may be able to get out of the hole they have dug for themselves. More viewers would tune in to a race two hours long instead of four. This would be beneficial because more viewers means more sponsors. Sponsors make the sport go round (no pun intended) and support the teams so we see the best equipment and drivers on the track every week.
I can hear the purists taking a deep breath before jumping in to argue that change isn’t always good. But in these times, change may be the only thing that keeps this sport alive.
The Racetracks
NASCAR Ovals might all look incredibly similar. However, each one is actually different. Each circuit has its own characteristics which affects the overall speed and length of the circuit. Some of the racetracks have a steeper banking which leads to faster speeds and quicker lap times.
Other circuits might have a newer tarmac laid down which gives the cars more grip and therefore also faster lap times than a circuit which has an older layout. In the bigger picture, these factors all lead to determining the overall length of a NASCAR race.
Longer lap times mean longer races. NASCAR compensates that with less laps in order to try and keep most races the same length timewise (as well as distance). However, it can still lead to longer races if cars take longer to complete laps.
Short Track Races
The first kind of race in NASCAR is a short track race. Of the thirty total race tracks that span different NASCAR series, five are listed as short tracks. The short track race courses are all under one mile around, most of them are closer to half a mile. These short track races are building to be faster, more exciting, and shorter in terms of the total amount of hours watching. These styles of races have gained popularity in recent years, especially as NASCAR struggles to keep its viewers. Short track races might not be the most common kind of race right now, but you certainly may see more short track NASCAR races in the future.
How fast do NASCAR drivers take turns?
200 miles per hour
NASCAR drivers travel at extremely high speeds, over 200 miles per hour. They accelerate so quickly that it takes them only around 3 to 3.5 seconds to go from zero to 60 mph. During this acceleration, the car must exert an average of 2,600 lbs of horizontal force against the track.
What’s the average time of a NASCAR race?
NASCAR races generally last anywhere from 1.5 to 4 hours, depending on the length of the race, number of laps and track conditions. Many races are 500 miles in length, though some are shorter or longer. Normal track conditions at a recent Daytona 500 resulted in a total race time of three hours, 26 minutes and 29 seconds for the 500-mile race.
What is NASCAR race time?
The start time for the Monster Energy Open is 6 p.m. ET, and the start time for the All-Star Race itself is 8:30 p.m. ET. The start time for the pre-race show on FS1 is 5 p.m. ET. The 6 p.m. ET start time for Saturday’s NASCAR Cup races signals the third night race of the 2019 season.
Why So Many Laps?
NASCAR races usually run around 200 laps per race. When you compare this to other forms of motorsport such as Formula 1, it seems like a lot. NASCAR tends to run a lot more laps because the laps are a lot shorter.
The length of stock car racing circuits varies. For example, the Talladega Superspeedway is 2.66 miles long. Shorter circuits such as Martinsville are around 0.500 miles long. Then there are also much longer road racing circuits which are between 2 and 4 miles long. Majority of the NASCAR season uses 1.5-mile circuits.
The short length of thee circuits means that the lap times are usually below 1 minute long. These short and quick lap times mean that the races need to have a lot more laps in order for the cars to run the same distance as other forms of motorsport.
NASCAR requires at least 120 laps (or 300 miles) to complete in order for the final race classification to become official. This means that the race would have to surpass stage 2 in order to become official.
Daytona
The Daytona 500 is the most popular NASCAR race with over ten million viewers in most years. This event, held yearly, is a perfect example of a Superspeedway race. The Daytona International Speedway, where the race holds, measures 2.5 miles all the way around. The total number of laps in the Daytona 500 is 200 laps. If you multiply 2.5 miles by 200 laps you get 500, the number of miles of the Daytona 500. Since the drivers in NASCAR go at about 200 miles per hour most of the time, you would think that the Daytona 500 should take about 2.5 hours.
This is not the case though, as drivers are not always going at 200 miles per hour. With pit stops, crashes, and weather all being factors, the Daytona 500 actually will take about three and a half hours to complete, varying slightly every year. The mileage of the Daytona 500 is not the rule for all NASCAR races, but since it is the most popular race in the NASCAR cup series, it is a good race for beginning NASCAR fans to watch and enjoy.
How many miles is the Daytona 500?
The mileage of the Daytona 500 is right in the name, 500 miles. This comes from a 2.5 mile long track and 200 laps to that race. If you multiply 2.5 by 200, you get 500, the total mileage of the Daytona 500 race. Racers usually complete the five hundred mile race in about three and a half hours. Being in the car for that long can be quite exhausting but it is very worth the reward to the drivers who complete the course and win.
Stages
NASCAR races are divided up into different stages, and points are awarded to the top drivers at the end of each stage. This ‘checkpoint’ system was introduced into NASCAR from 2017 and has helped to keep the racing entertaining and give opportunities for different drivers to score more points.
The stages concept is an interesting one. The races are dividing into three separated ‘stages. However, since each racetrack is a different length, the point at which each stage intersects is different with each circuit they attend.
For example, the Daytona 500 race has 200 total race laps. Stage 1 ends after 60 laps, stage 2 ends after another 60 laps (lap 120/200), and stage 3 is the remaining 80 laps. If we take a look at a shorter racetrack, we will find a higher number of laps. For example, Martinsville Speedway runs a total of 500 laps. Stage 1 ends on lap 130. Stage 2 runs or another 130 laps (ends lap 260/500). The final stage is then the remaining 240 laps.
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