Tuesday, May 17, 2011 | 9:05 a.m.
Liver and onions. Tax day. Ads during a race telecast. I'm not sure which one I like the least. And most NASCAR fans would agree that the proliferation of commercials during the Cup races ranks high on their list of least favorite things.
But we also understand that these commercials are a necessary annoyance that pay the broadcasters' bills. If there were no ads, there would be no televised NASCAR. And even though I love this sport, I'm not sure I would write checks to watch commercial-free races on a pay-per-view channel.
That's why, toward the end of the race at Dover, I was pleasantly surprised to see a split screen that included live race coverage on one side and a commercial on the other. This is a good idea.
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According to scenedaily.com, a representative from Fox Sports said that the network convinced three of the biggest advertisers to try the spilt screen approach for the final break of the Dover race. TNT has used the split screen during the July race at Daytona. But this was the first time Fox had tried the dual-screen approach during a NASCAR race. And according to a spokesperson from the network, the feedback from fans on social media was very positive.
Have you ever sat through a giant block of commercials only to see that, once the coverage resumed, there had been a lead change? If more use of spilt screen coverage can ensure that fans don't miss those moments on the track, then I'm all for it.
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