Kyle Larson agrees with Scott Dixon, says NASCAR 'Cup races are too long'
· Yahoo Sports
INDIANAPOLIS – One weekend before NASCAR returned to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400, IndyCar legend Scott Dixon criticized the length of NASCAR Cup Series races.
The six-time IndyCar champion was asked about the original distance of IndyCar’s Music City Grand Prix, which was set to be 300 laps and nearly 400 miles before it was postponed and shortened. Dixon said he didn’t know if he’d like more IndyCar races of a similar distance, citing his problem with the length of Cup races.
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“I don't know,” Dixon said in an interview with Frontstretch.com. “I find it really hard to watch Cup races. It allows for a nap. Maybe that's good. I don't know.”
The comments drew the ire of many NASCAR fans and commentators, who disagreed with Dixon’s assessment. This year, the shortest Cup race on an oval is 267 miles and the longest is 600. The shortest oval races typically take around three hours while longer races can exceed four hours. Last year’s Brickyard 400 took three hours and 22 minutes.
While many felt Dixon’s comments were out of line, 2024 Brickyard 400 winner Kyle Larson understood Dixon’s point.
“Yes, I agree that a lot of our Cup races are too long,” said Larson, who raced in the 2024 and 2025 Indy 500s at IMS. “I just think the way that the world has kind of gone, how people consume sports, I definitely think our races are too long. I think three hours is too long. As far as a nap, I don’t know. So it doesn't really bother me, but I agree with what he was saying.”
Besides the race distance, stages in NASCAR races can extend how long they take. NASCAR races are divided into three stages (the Coca-Cola 600 has four), with each stage being a different lap count depending on the track and race distance. At the end of the first two stages, races have stage cautions to award points based on where cars finish after each stage and provide a window for NASCAR’s television partners to cut to a set commercial break.
The stage breaks, along with overtime in races to not end on a caution, lead to races being extended in real time to an extent that feels unnatural to observers like Dixon, who recently stated he wants to drive in the Daytona 500 before he retires. While all fans and drivers may not agree with him, Dixon has one supporter in Larson, who's a two-time Cup Series champion.
Zion Brown is IndyStar's motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Kyle Larson agrees with Scott Dixon, says NASCAR 'Cup races are too long'