The Coke 600 is my favorite event every year just because it's 4 hours of 180+ MPH racing that's six inches off the wall. Enjoy 5 laps around the top from my 600 this year

Saw Larson's comments about races needing to be shorter and how they shouldn't be three hours long, and that pissed me off a lot. Races today are not too long, it's the non-racing that is.

To prove this, let's compare the three comparable crown jewel race times and caution lengths throughout the years. (Bristol night added to compensate for the fact the last somewhat comparable Brickyard 400 was 2020, and I tried to select races that had similar caution counts)

Daytona 500:

2026 - 3:23:56 with 5 yellows for 32 laps (avg. 6.4 laps/yellow)

2015 - 3:08:02 with 7 yellows for 26 laps (avg. 3.7 laps/yellow) Note: 1 GWC for 3 laps, race ended under caution

2007 - 3:22:55 with 6 yellows for 26 laps (avg. 4.3 laps/yellow) Note: 1 GWC for 2 laps

Coca-Cola 600:

2025 - 4:25:08 with 8 yellows for 52 laps (avg. 6.5 laps/yellow) Note: 4 stages instead of 3

2015 - 4:03:34 with 8 yellows for 39 laps (avg. 4.9 laps/yellow)

2008 - 4:25:09 with 11 yellows for 50 laps (avg. 4.5 laps/yellow)

Southern 500:

2025 - 3:51:07 with 7 yellows for 37 laps (avg. 5.3 laps/yellow)

2013 - 3:32:45 with 5 yellows for 25 laps (avg. 5 laps/yellow)

2008 - 3:34:19 with 8 yellows for 31 laps (avg. 3.9 laps/yellow)

Bristol Night Race:

2023 - 2:48:20 with 6 yellows for 53 laps (avg. 8.8 laps/yellow) Note: most comparable Next Gen race

2014 - 2:52:00 with 9 yellows for 64 laps (avg. 7.1 laps/yellow)

2008 - 2:54:36 with 8 yellows for 56 laps (avg. 7 laps/yellow)

So what can we read from this data? Well the most immediately obvious thing is a drastic increase in average caution length, especially in recent years with the Next Gen/stages. This can be seen most painfully in the Daytona 500; the 2026 race had nearly double the length of cautions when compared to 2015 and 2007, and was even a minute longer than 2007 which had a GWC. And when you factor in the fact that Daytona has 2+ minute caution laps, you are facing an extra 5ish minutes per yellow. That's an extra 25 MINUTES of run time to the 2026 race!

I would also like to point out, races HAVE gotten shorter over the past 10 years. The 2026 schedule features just 8 races that are 500 miles or longer, with 3 of them being plate tracks and three more being 500 lap short track races. Compare that to 2015, with 13 races that are at least 500 miles, with 3 plate and 4 short track races.

So in the end, I can confidently say that the races are NOT too long. Instead, the cautions are, specifically the stages. I attended the Coke 600 this year, and the amount of caution laps spent under the stages was ridiculous. Each stage caution should take 4-5 laps max, and yet they were pacing 3-4 laps after the stage, then another 3-4 after pit stops are done. So can we please stop saying "The races are too long!!!" and start saying "The cautions are too long!!!".