“Project Number One for the Off-Season”: NASCAR’s Brad Moran Vows to End Fuel-Saving Farce After Talladega Debacle

The 2026 YellaWood 500 has revealed a bigger problem with NASCAR racing this year. After much debate and criticism around the field running on 25% throttle for the longest stint of the race, which driver violated the yellow-line rule, officials considering black-flagging 75% of the field for running below the minimum speed, and more, NASCAR has decided to fix the problem at the heart of it: the newly introduced Stage One format. And while Talladega may have been its most recent victim, the problem with how the field goes racing in stage one is becoming a recurring one.