It was a late night at EchoPark Speedway for many, including yours truly, who braved it out in the stands at 1:45 a.m. ET after making the trip from the West Coast. From someone who saw it, there was a noticeable chunk of fans who didn’t stick around for any number of reasons.
People have work, have traveled from far away or even made their own projections about the weather forecast and had to scurry out of there. But these types of situations propose a bigger question from both people at the track and at home.
Should NASCAR run Sunday night races on non-holiday weekends? Thomas Dunn and Christopher Hansen break it down on this week’s 2-Headed Monster.
Run Sunday Night, But It Needs to Be Deliberate
Sitting at the track this weekend allowed me to understand both sides of this argument. Usually I’m in a great time zone out west and don’t have to care all that much about when NASCAR goes green.
This week, I got to be front and center for what many experience with a three-and-a-half hour delay that resulted in the checkered flag flying just before 2 a.m. ET.
From my perspective, there’s value to Sunday night racing, but you need to be intentional, not only about where you’re going but the resources you have to pivot when circumstances out of your control pop up.
Outside of the typical holiday weekends (Memorial Day, July 4 and Labor Day), NASCAR has to manage its resources correctly to get Sunday night racing off the ground. Charlotte Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway are assuredly out of the running for the sake of being different and the ability to do the second race at its current part of the schedule.
That means you need tracks that put on a good product and have the best chance possible to avoid weather.
Remember Phoenix Raceway night races? Las Vegas as a whole is known for its night environment, why not set the week right with a night race at the speedway? Chicagoland Speedway clearly suffices in multiple departments as well, and weather permitting, could nail all facets both on and off the racetrack.
I’m sure as many in the industry and stands would attest, they’d like to get the ball rolling far before 3 a.m.
Is weather something that NASCAR will always have to deal with? Absolutely, but you can take steps to make sure that you give yourself the best chance to execute. Doing it in the heart of the South is asking for it, and you saw that on full display in Atlanta.
Moreover, we’ve heard for years on end that Saturday night races don’t draw enough eyeballs in the TV ratings game. Should the sport want to continue its recent ascension, being a Sunday night player when the NFL isn’t on is ripe for the picking, and that includes non-summer races.
If NASCAR wants to keep its trend line up, it should continue with Sunday night races, with the understanding that it needs to create better leverage for itself in the process. – Thomas Dunn
It’s a No for Sunday
This past weekend at EchoPark Speedway was a great example of what happens when a race scheduled to run in the evening is impacted by weather. While the delay only lasted three hours, NASCAR probably would’ve called the race official had the race reached its halfway point if the start time was moved up. Instead, the race was paused and drivers weren’t called to their cars until 11:20 p.m. ET Sunday night.
Once the red flag was lifted and NASCAR was able to resume the race, the fans that endured the lengthy delay were treated to another exhilarating EchoPark finish with polesitter Ryan Blaney passing Carson Hocevar on the final lap to score the victory.
The one glaring discrepancy was that the race ended close to 2:00 am ET Monday morning. A lot of fans watching from home, myself included, turned in for the night, therefore missing the delayed finish. In the latest ratings update, EchoPark had 1.5 million viewers at race’s end. According to data from Adam Stern, TNT was on pace to have an audience of 2.4 million average viewers before the three-hour rain delay.
While we can’t change the weather when NASCAR is racing, there are workarounds to prevent something like this happening again. While Sunday night races generate higher viewership numbers, ideally the Cup Series should have more Saturday night races. Looking at the remaining schedule, only two Cup races will be held on Saturday nights: the regular season finale at Daytona International Speedway in August and the Bristol Night Race in September. With the exception of the opening Chase race at Darlington on Labor Day weekend, every other Cup race for the remainder of the season will be run in their traditional Sunday afternoon time slots.
If NASCAR wants to avoid another situation like this past weekend, running more Saturday night races could solve a lot of problems. In the event a Saturday night race is delayed due to inclement weather, NASCAR has more flexibility to run the race the following day so fans watching from home would still be able to see the race in full. Additionally, for fans at the track if weather causes any delays, it would be a more ideal situation since fans would be able to return to the track the day after and not have to worry about having to make other arrangements if the race was to be delayed or postponed.
After last weekend’s delay caused many fans to miss seeing the conclusion of the race, it would be wise for NASCAR to consider having more Saturday night races rather than risking having a delayed or even postponed Sunday night race. – Christopher Hansen
Thomas is in his second year covering NASCAR at Frontstretch. A Bay Area NASCAR fan for over 15+ years, he found his love for the sport through Jeff Gordon. He helps manage the 2-Headed Monster Column.
Thomas has enjoyed several trips to Sonoma Raceway in his time and currently covers college athletics in the Bay Area, writing about the California Golden Bears and doing play by play broadcasting.
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