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Published Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009 | 3:19 p.m.
Updated Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009 | 3:20 p.m.
Inevitably at some point during the week my wife asks me, “What time is the race on this weekend?” She always likes to know at what point during the weekend I’ll be in a do-not-disturb mode as I watch the race. I usually respond with a blank look on my face since there are as many different start times as there are paint schemes on the Cup cars.
In the 2009 season there have been or will be 16 races starting at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, five starting between 3:24-3:30 p.m., six between 7:20-7:30 p.m. and two at 8 p.m. There also are races starting at 1 p.m., 5 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. But that is about to change.
NASCAR announced yesterday that 20 races will start at 1 p.m. next season and that, overall, 28 races will start earlier than they did in 2009. Hallelujah!
NASCAR and the networks realized that later start times weren’t helping the ratings as they had hoped. Seems the more traditional start times may be what people expect. David Hill, the chairman of Fox Sports, told NASCAR Scene: “We started to tamper with something that we shouldn’t have.”
Fortunately, NASCAR and Mr. Hill came to their senses and responded to the wishes of the fans. Consistency, in my book, makes setting time aside for watching the races easier. Now, I know it’s unrealistic to ask, but I’d love to see the races on fewer networks, too.
Actually, since daylight savings time runs from March to November, the majority of the start times are Eastern DAYLIGHT Time, not Eastern Standard Time.
Nitpicking aside, I agree with you. How many races the last couple of years were shortened, delayed and/or run on Monday because of rain? Several races would have been completed the same day had they started at a reasonable hour.
I also believe it is a wonderful thing. No more starting to watch an NFL game, which everyone knows start at 10 Pacific Time, and flipping back and forth and back and forth for an hour or more to see when the race will actually get around to starting. Of course, I never have minded missing the first few seconds when the race is broadcast on FOX.
In other words, fans were tuning out. Late start times and safe but boring cars had led to boring "races" and a dip in viewership. The COT has ruined racing at small tracks such as Bristol and Martinsville. Keep tweaking NASCAR.
007_fan,
AP style, which the Sun uses, recommends using Eastern Standard Time.