This year, NASCAR has faced significant disruptions due to adverse weather conditions, resulting in some races finishing late in the day or even being postponed to Monday. This has sparked calls from fans and industry insiders for earlier start times, but so far, these changes haven’t been fully implemented.
In an interview with Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, NASCAR Senior Vice President of Broadcasting & Innovation, Brian Herbst, shed light on why races are often scheduled for mid-to-late afternoon. According to Herbst, every hour a race starts later in the day leads to a five percent increase in viewership.
So why does NASCAR continue to opt for these later start times? Herbst explained, “It’s a balancing act, like almost everything that we do here.” NASCAR has to juggle the interests of various stakeholders, including the tracks, teams, drivers, sponsors, and media partners. Moreover, they must cater to two distinct groups of fans: those attending the races in person and those watching from home.
The impact of start times on TV viewership is significant. For instance, NASCAR estimates that shifting a race from 3:00 PM to 1:00 PM ET results in a 10 percent drop in viewership. “If you’re averaging 3 million viewers per event, that 10 percent from 3:00 pm to 1:00 pm is about 300,000 viewers, just broadly speaking,” Herbst noted.
A recent example of this trend is the annual Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. When the start time was moved from 1 PM ET in 2021 to 2:30 PM ET in 2022, the race gained around 500,000 additional viewers. “If the overarching goal is to drive fan interest in the sport and ensure as many people are paying attention as possible, those 300,000 extra viewers on a typical Sunday become crucial,” Herbst added.
However, not everyone in the NASCAR community agrees with this approach. Denny Hamlin, a prominent driver, voiced his opinion on his podcast this week, arguing that NASCAR should prioritize better start times even if it means accepting less money from media rights deals. NASCAR’s next round of media rights agreements with Fox, NBC, Amazon, and Warner Bros. Discovery is set to begin in 2025, and the discussion around start times could be a key factor in those negotiations.
The debate highlights the complexity of setting consistent start times, especially for a sport that holds races across different time zones. For example, a 1 p.m. ET start would translate to a 10 a.m. PT start for west coast races, which might not be ideal for fans attending in person.
As NASCAR approaches its next media rights cycle, it remains to be seen whether adjustments to race start times will be part of the changes implemented with new broadcasting partners. Fans and stakeholders alike are eager to see how these considerations will shape the future of race scheduling.
About The Author
