<P> Lastly, a handful of stages each year are known as being "good for a breakaway"--when one or a few riders attacks the peloton and beats it to the finish line . Typically these stages are somewhere between flat and mountainous . Breakaway stages are where the rouleurs, the hard - working, all - around riders who make up the majority of most teams, get their chance to grab a moment in the spotlight . (The climbers will want to save their energy for the mountains, and the sprinters are not built for hills .) </P> <P> In the big multi-day events like the Tour or the Giro, there is a secondary competition on points (e.g. Points classification in the Tour de France), which tends to be contested by sprinters . Riders collect points for being one of the first to finish the stage and also for being one of the first three to finish an "intermediate" sprint . Sprinters also can get time bonuses, meaning that good sprinters may lead the general classification during the first few stages of a big multi-day event . </P> <P> In NASCAR racing, starting with the 2017 season, races in the top three national touring series are completed in three stages, four in the case of the Monster Energy Cup Series' longest race, the Coca - Cola 600 . A stage consists of normal green flag racing followed by a stoppage on a designated lap signified by the waving of a green and white checkered flag, then a yellow flag . The top - 10 finishers in each of the first two stages are awarded bonus championship points . The points earned are added to a driver / owner's regular season points total, while the winner of the stage receives an additional point that can be carried into the NASCAR playoffs . The stage lengths vary by track, but the first two stages usually combine to equal about half of the race . The final stage (which still pays out the most championship points) usually equals the other half . The first driver to win a National Series race under the stage race format was Camping World Truck Series driver Kaz Grala who won the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in February 2017 . </P> <P> Round - the - world sailing races are sometimes held over stages . Notable examples are the Volvo Ocean Race, VELUX 5 Oceans Race, Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and Global Challenge . </P>

What is the purpose of stage racing in nascar
find me the text answering this question