Veteran Journalist Called Out Michigan Shocker “NASCAR’s lack Interest in Its Fans”
Scattered showers and thunderstorms are nothing new on Michigan’s highway. This is a path that has been cut short by Mother Nature since the turn of the last century. There are no lights on the 2-mile, D-shaped oval, and the race has been forced to end before sunrise to avoid any visible problems for the drivers. You’d think NASCAR would have learned by now, because five races at the track have been canceled since 2000 and many more have been postponed or delayed due to weather.
Apparently not. For the second year in a row, the Michigan race was postponed to Monday, raising questions about NASCAR’s lack of interest in fans. The management’s failure to increase start times on the road, especially in the absence of light, prompted a veteran reporter to call them out on social media.
The NASCAR reporter blames the missed spots
Mother nature strikes again! Persistent rain at Michigan International Speedway has delayed the FireKeepers Casino 400. History appears to be repeating itself last year, when the Cup Series race at the track was postponed until Monday after 74 laps. a few hours of continuous rain. Not limited to NASCAR, weather has delayed the IndyCar/CART Series’ Michigan 500 four times. With the National Weather Service predicting a 72-82 percent chance of rain, one would think that NASCAR would consider changing the schedule to minimize the inconvenience to fans. They didn’t do it. Despite Saturday’s Xfinity Series race being suspended twice due to rain and an early finish, NASCAR continued with the race schedule, although Cup Series action and qualifiers were canceled.
This meant that the first race period lasted more than two hours and only 52 laps were completed before the cars returned to pit road after the red flag. NASCAR broadcaster Jeff Gluck wrote of the situation: “I know television is king. Sure, I do. But at what point does this become crazy? Increase start times on unlit tracks. Especially with the threat of rain. please “People have work and school tomorrow and they can watch an official match today.”
The first stage in Michigan saw Ryan Blaney take the win. When Denny Hamlin spun, the yellow flag came out on lap thirty-nine of stage 45, sending most of the drivers to a two-way stop. While many chose to change tires and fill up, Blaney stayed out and led the charge, taking the challenge for the stage win. Chase Elliott pushed hard in the closing laps to finish second.
The situation at the Michigan International Rally illustrates NASCAR’s focus on television ratings, sometimes at the expense of track fans. The early start to the FireKeepers Casino 400 is justified due to the length of the season, but there is a risk that TV ratings will drop. In the end there were no lights and the race could not continue that day and it was all dark. Fan reaction to the long race at Michigan International Speedway
Many fans took to social media to express their dismay at the circumstances surrounding the postponement of the FireKeepers Casino 400. They want NASCAR to move up the start time to avoid delays. the length of the next day, or add light to their path. One fan wrote: “Always. #NASCAR needs to be understood. This happens often. Put the lights on the tracks or move the start time. Stupid.”
Echoing similar sentiments, another fan was shocked that having lights on the track is not a prerequisite to being able to run NASCAR races. .to be able to host a NASCAR Cup race, you need a light bulb Idk why that isn’t a baseline thing nowadays.” One fan expressed his sympathy for those who are traveling to watch the race on the track. Emphasizing the inconvenience weather-related delays can cause to race-going fans, the fan wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “I feel bad for the people who travel pretty far, especially if it’s their only chance to see a race that season.
Not everyone can extend travel plans at the last minute. The inclement weather responses have been awful lately and they really need to find a happy medium.” One was the sports’ long-time fan, who remembered the days when races were held earlier than they are today, chimed in by saying, “When we were still kids, start times for races were between 12:30pm and 1:30pm for every daytime race. Those were the days”¦” With race timings being dictated by broadcasters for increased TV viewership, one fan absolved NASCAR from any blame while responding to Jeff Gluck’s tweet. A fan wrote: “Couldn’t agree more. This is 100% on NBC. It’s supposed to be ‘in’ to blame NASCAR, but NBC ordered it to begin with.”
If they started at noon today the entire race is most likely done by now As race timings are dictated by what will get maximum TV viewership, a fan living on the West Coast said that starting races earlier than usual wouldn’t hurt their Television Rating Point (TRP) as much as they would think. The fan said, “I’m part of the elusive West Coast crowd NASCAR and TV try to pander to. There is nothing wrong with starting games at 1 pm EST over here (10 am PST). The NFL does it, and it’s fine. You may lose a bit of the after-church crowd, but it’s a doable time for racing.” What are your thoughts about the race delay at Michigan International Speedway? Let us know in the comments!
I understand TV is king. Really, I do. But at what point does this just seem insane? Move the start times up at tracks with no lights. Especially with the threat of rain. Please. People have work and school tomorrow and they could have seen an official race today.
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) August 18, 2024
