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NASCAR didn’t get to see its new end-of-stage policy in action last weekend at Iowa Speedway. Stages ending naturally is a good thing. But NASCAR is now prepared to be flexible when it comes to the length of the stages. Responding to feedback from fans and criticism that caution periods are too long, NASCAR decided that, if a caution comes out with 10 laps or fewer left in the stage, the stage would end at the time of caution. That would eliminate either running extra laps under caution until the stage ends or running caution laps, then coming back to green for a lap (or two) dash to the stage finish and then throwing the caution again. “It stems from what happened in Indy, where we’ve seen all too often [that] the caution comes out before the stage break, we run a number of caution laps, trying to get back green. Stage break comes and we’re back to caution. Long periods of caution laps, not enough green-flag racing,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said in a video to fans. “No more back-to-back cautions, no more elongated caution laps. More green-flag racing, more action for you, the fans.” The stage breaks are designed to bunch up the field and give the broadcaster four guaranteed times when they can run full-screen commercials under yellow. So at the end of the stage, laps are run under yellow for commercials, the pits are then open and then a couple more laps are run. Those final few laps allow for more commercials, as well as for NASCAR to get the lineup in order, so drivers can choose their lane on the restart. The choose rule added a lap to every caution on ovals when it was implemented several years ago. NASCAR potentially could move the “choose area” to the backstretch on ovals (like it does on road courses where it is often near the end of the lap) in hopes of potentially eliminating another full caution lap. Obviously, the balance of having the stage breaks and getting back to racing can be frustrating. “It sucks for all of us when you get a caution with five to go to the end of the stage and they’re going to try to do a one-lap shootout and then it takes 15 minutes [for the stage break]. Like just roll on with it,” two-time Cup champion Kyle Larson told The Athletic’s Jeff Gluck and others at Iowa Speedway. “This is a step in the right direction.” Another former Cup champion, Ryan Blaney, also liked the new rule. “That’s no fun for anybody,” Blaney said about the extra laps under caution when the stage break comes right after another caution during a news conference. “That’s no fun for anybody watching. That’s not fun for us either. … That’s progress on that side and trying to limit the time of caution, time of yellow and things like that.” Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar thinks it could impact strategy. “Ultimately, [it will] just make the race not predictable and hopefully, it just allows for mistakes on the box,” Hocevar said at a news conference at Iowa. “I feel like mistakes from either the box or the car tend to kind of always make the racing better.  It’s good. I think it’s an improvement. It’s less caution laps, which is good.” Ryan Preece said he’s all for it but did see some irony in the decision. “It seems like a lot of fans are talking about more green-flag racing, and we put stage breaks in to break the races up because everybody was talking about the long green-flag runs,” Preece said during an Iowa news conference. “Me, personally, this will never happen, but I wish there were no stages and we’d race.” If the caution does impact the length of a stage, the length of the ensuing stage would change as far as distance and will still end at the original designated lap. For instance, if the stages are designed to end on Lap 50 and Lap 100 and the race ends on Lap 200 and the caution comes out on Lap 45, the second stage would still end at Lap 100 (and not Lap 95) and would end up being 55 laps in length. O’Donnell credited fans for being vocal about wanting change. “You helped push this,” O’Donnell said. “Your passion for the sport has helped us make changes more quickly.” In The News — Haas Factory Team added Dean Thompson to its O’Reilly Series roster as part of a multiyear deal. HFT will increase to three cars for O’Reilly with the drivers of the other two cars to be announced. The organization’s current drivers are Sheldon Creed and Sam Mayer. Thompson has spent the last couple of years at Sam Hunt Racing. — Joe Gibbs Racing announced that William Sawalich has signed a contract extension to continue driving in the O’Reilly Series for the organization. — Iowa Speedway will repave its entire seventh-eighths-mile racing oval during the offseason. Clinching Drivers No drivers in Cup clinched a spot in the Chase at Iowa, but Sammy Smith did clinch a spot in the O’Reilly Series postseason. Social Spotlight They Said It “Without sounding salty, I don’t think I would have won the race anyway, but I think it’s kind of time for us as a series to grow up and not have the lapped car situation. I think it makes us all look stupid.”— Felix Rosenqvist on INDYCAR not ordering lapped cars to move over for the leaders​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports

Is this a good time to provide a reminder that last July the Dodgers lost seven games in a row, 10 out of 12 and finished the month 10-14? Well, they’re floundering again and don’t exactly look like the infallible force everyone expected after acquiring the best player available at the deadline. They’re 1-6 since supposedly breaking the game by trading for Tarik Skubal. Meanwhile, the Tigers are 5-2 in their first seven games without Skubal and Casey Mize. Small sample size, of course, but the Dodgers haven’t been playing well for a while. They’ve lost eight of their last nine games and 17 of their last 28, and for the first time in a long time no longer occupy the top spot in the power rankings. Of course, that can change quickly. But it serves as a good reminder that even the teams who appeared to be winners at the deadline (Dodgers, Pirates) still have to play the games. Meanwhile, some of the biggest deadline losers (Brewers, Braves, Diamondbacks, Tigers) keep winning. As we wait to see how the players in new places pan out over the season’s last couple months, this week’s power rankings include one reason to watch every team in the second half. The Angels aren’t likely to reap many of the rewards of their deadline sell-off until the years to come, but they can at least get a look at new catcher Moisés Ballesteros, who should have an everyday job in Anaheim. We’ve already seen a number of first-round selections from the exceptional 2024 draft class make their MLB debuts. Charlie Condon, the third overall pick from that draft, is an exception, but he has 22 homers at Triple-A and could be a late-season call-up. Meanwhile, the Rockies continue to enjoy the terrific debut seasons of TJ Rumfield and Cole Carrigg. This has been a horrendous year in Sacramento. You know what could provide some excitement? Calling up one of the top prospects in baseball. Leo De Vries is still at Double-A, and the A’s might not want to start the clock for the 19-year-old shortstop in this lost season, but he would give the fans a reason to watch. Marcelo Mayer appears close to starting a rehab assignment. Maybe the former Red Sox top prospect can realize his potential after a change of scenery. Jac Caglianone is an oasis in a Kansas City desert, and his strides in year two are providing more optimism for the Royals’ future if they can be a healthier team in 2027. Sal Stewart could make the NL Rookie of the Year race interesting. I wish I had more for you, Cincinnati fans. Rookies Carson Benge, AJ Ewing and Nolan McLean have been a (very small) silver lining in an otherwise miserable (horrible, awful, dreadful) season in Queens. Maybe they work their way into the Rookie of the Year conversation. Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson were supposed to lead the Orioles into the promised land. Now, Rutschman is gone and Henderson is inexplicably enduring the worst year of his five-year career. Henderson obviously remains a vital cog for the future success of this franchise, and it’s worth watching if he can start to turn a corner before season’s end. Can the addition of Taylor Ward spark a sputtering offense? … Not yet, at least. The Mariners scored four runs total over their last four games and have lost five of their last six series to fall even further behind in both the AL West and wild-card races. This might be the start of the annual big Julio Rodriguez month, though. Will the bullpen additions catalyze a playoff push in Minnesota? The Twins decided not to buy at the deadline, and while that decision is not looking great yet, they remain firmly in the wild-card race. More sparks could be ahead. They just called up prospect Kaelen Culpepper, and their other top prospect, outfielder Walker Jenkins, could also play a role by season’s end. We are nearing mid-August, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. still doesn’t have a home run at the Rogers Centre. It is almost unfathomable. Can he get on a roll at some point in the second half? If he does, the last-place Blue Jays — who threaded the needle at the deadline by trading away Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho and Jeff Hoffman but also adding Jose Soriano, Spencer Arrighetti and Jameson Taillon — still have a chance to contend. Well, this isn’t the direction they’re supposed to be going. The Pirates patched up their bullpen at the deadline and then promptly dropped a series in Milwaukee and a series in Queens to fall 5.5 games back in the division. The offense is hurting with Ryan O’Hearn, Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin out, but Pittsburgh also needs Paul Skenes to get right. He has an ERA over 6.00 over his last eight starts. Will he look like an ace again in time to save the Pirates’ season? The Marlins didn’t do anything to help their 2026 cause at the deadline (unless you love some Victor Vodnik), but could their decision to keep Sandy Alcantara help them stun the baseball world and sneak into a playoff spot? They’re only three games out of a playoff spot. The Guardians have now dropped 13 of their last 17 games. Even after the additions of Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe, there’s a lot riding on their rookies to lift the offense. The latest call-up is top prospect and infielder Angel Genao. What kind of impact can he make alongside the current crop of standout rookies on the team? Which of the pitchers acquired by the Nationals at the deadline could be helpful pieces for the next contending Washington team? Jake Bird, Will Dion and Yovanny Cruz are already assisting a bullpen that needed …a ton of help. Hopefully, Connelly Early’s forearm tightness isn’t too serious, and he can contribute before season’s end. In the meantime, enjoy CJ Abrams, who stayed put despite rumors at the deadline. Dautlon Varsho went deep for his first home run as an Astro on Sunday. What kind of difference can he make to an Astros outfield that ranks among the league’s least productive groups offensively this season? They were 45-45, 50-50, 55-55, and are now 59-59. I have little doubt this team will finish the season 81-81, but could a healthier Corey Seager in the second half put them on the right side of .500? If he can turn it on down the stretch, that could be the difference in winning the division. One Cardinals player already had a memorable moment this year when Jordan Walker left the crowd at Citizens Bank Park stunned by winning the Home Run Derby. By season’s end, another Cardinals player could be in the national spotlight as JJ Wetherholt tries to hold off the competition for Rookie of the Year. How does the team respond to the losses of Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize? So far, so good. They just wrapped up a 7-2 West Coast road trip, are inching closer to .500 and a playoff spot, and somehow have the best run differential in the American League. How different will this pitching staff look after call-ups and additions? The White Sox rank 13th in ERA, but they added veteran Luis Castillo hoping to stabilize the rotation, and now top pitching prospects Hagen Smith and Tanner McDougal have arrived to help. They’ll need Castillo to find another gear down the stretch. What kind of impact will Luis Arráez make? This might be the most fascinating team to watch the rest of the way, considering how much Arráez is needed offensively (the Phillies are a bottom-five team in on-base percentage and a bottom-10 team in OPS) and also how his introduction to the Philadelphia lineup has forced a bevy of defensive changes, including Bryce Harper moving back to the outfield. The bats are hot — the Padres have the highest batting average in baseball since the break — and while the San Diego debuts for Casey Mize and Robbie Ray didn’t go to plan, those acquisitions provide reason to believe this Padres team might now have just enough starting pitching to sneak into a playoff spot. How many injured D-backs pitchers return over the next two months? Michael Soroka, Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Justin Martinez and Ryne Nelson are all among the prominent D-backs pitchers on the injured list whose return could be the difference in making the postseason. When do Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton come back? And how much can deadline additions Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos boost the offense until that time comes? There’s a world in which the Yankees’ offense is back at full strength in time for the postseason, but it’s worth watching not only when their injured stars get back but also if those players can find their rhythm ahead of October. What kind of impact does Adley Rutschman have the rest of the way once healthy? Even with all the winning the Red Sox are doing, their catchers rank 24th in wRC+. Another boost from Rutschman could be the difference between a promising season and a championship one. The Dodgers are playing poorly. Their offense is in a funk. Edwin Díaz is flailing. Maybe these are reasons for Dodgers fans to worry. History tells us they should not. Also, you might have heard they acquired a guy named Tarik Skubal. He’ll make his first home start at Dodger Stadium on Monday night, and he’ll be followed by Blake Snell one day later. The rotation is becoming more whole, and they will probably zoom back up the rankings in short order. Can Pete Crow-Armstrong challenge Shohei Ohtani for MVP? Both players put on a heck of a show this week in Chicago, with the Cubs’ center fielder getting the last laugh in a series sweep capped off by two PCA homers in the finale. If he keeps this offensive pace up, he’ll make a strong case for MLB’s top individual honor. Whatever happens over the final couple months, this has been a tremendous bounceback season for Atlanta. But while Bryce Elder, Grant Holmes and Martin Perez continue to be effective and new addition Tyler Mahle looked great in his Braves debut, questions linger about the team’s October arms after a disappointing deadline failed to bring in another impact starter. Will one of their injured starters get back in time to contribute down the stretch and beyond, or can the group in place inspire the confidence that they have enough arms to make a deep run? Can the Rays hold off both the Yankees and red-hot Red Sox? The new acquisitions should help. Beyond just Freddy Peralta and Liam Hicks, the addition of reliever Tyler Wells might be one of the most underrated moves of the deadline, and the Rays’ pitching has been exceptional lately. Even after Boston’s surge, the Rays lead the Yankees by 5.5 games and the Red Sox by seven games as they track toward their first division title since 2021. Which starters step up behind Jacob Misiorowski? The Brewers ace leads all qualified MLB starters in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP and opponents’ batting average and looks like the clear Cy Young Award winner right now, but there has been some deserved heat on this team for not adding more star power behind him. Kyle Harrison’s first start back from the IL was encouraging, and maybe Dustin May develops into a clear October starter over the next two months, but there’s some sorting out to do down the stretch about the playoff pecking order.​Latest Sports News from FOX Sports