June 8, 2006

By Rebecca Gladden

Rebecca Gladden

Every once in a while, I like to address some of the topics ruminating around in my head which fall within the general category of "things I don't get about NASCAR."

For example, why does NASCAR maintain such a confusing TV broadcast schedule?

Trying to find a particular NASCAR event on TV can be a complicated shell game. And for those unfortunate fans with limited cable or satellite TV access, it can be impossible.

Television coverage of the Cup series season is split between two major networks, with races in the first half of the year shown on FOX, and those in the second half on NBC. This year, FOX's coverage started with the year's second race in California and will extend through the Pepsi 400 in July at Daytona, after which NBC will pick up with the Chicago race and continue through the season's final race in Homestead.

So FOX has the first half of the season, right? Well, yes, except for the Daytona 500, which was on NBC this year - although Fox had it last year. But all of the events of Speedweeks leading up to the 500, including the Bud Shootout and the Gatorade Duel 150's, were shown on cable network TNT.

That programming pattern within each network's half-season is one of the complicating factors. During FOX's half of the year, certain races are shown on FOX's cable broadcast partner FX. Similarly, a number of NBC's races will air on its cable partner, TNT.

In addition, if you want to watch qualifying or practice sessions for the Cup races, post-race interviews, or Busch or Craftsman truck series events, you will probably want to check the SPEED channel - although some of these programs may also appear on either FX or TNT - depending on which half of the season it is.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that the NASCAR race schedule itself is not consistent from week to week. Some Cup races take place during the daytime and some at night. Some are on Saturday and some on Sunday. East coast races generally start earlier than west coast races. And some weekends feature races known as "impound" events, while some do not; impound races have an entirely different practice and qualifying schedule than non-impound ones.

Not confused yet? Wait, there's more.

2006 marks the last season that FOX and NBC will be splitting race coverage. Under the terms of a new eight-year contract with NASCAR starting in 2007, ABC will replace NBC as one member of a new consortium of networks televising NASCAR programs, which also includes ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, TNT and SPEED.

That makes a total of six different broadcast outlets for fans to keep track of.

Under the new broadcast agreement, FOX will carry the Daytona 500 every year, rather than switching off with NBC as has been the recent practice. FOX will also carry some Speedweeks events, including the Bud Shootout and Daytona qualifying, while SPEED will air the Gatorade Duel 150's, which were on TNT this year, and the All-Star race in May, which was on FX.

FOX will broadcast the next 12 Cup races following the Daytona 500. Races 14 through 19 will be on TNT.

The final 17 races of the year will be on either ABC or ESPN, with ABC carrying all 10 races in the Chase for the Championship.

The Busch series races will be seen on one of three outlets - ABC, ESPN or ESPN 2. The Craftsman truck series events will air on SPEED, except for two CTS races which will be shown on FOX.

Other Cup events such as qualifying and practice sessions will vary between SPEED, ESPN and ESPN2.

Its looking more like a shell game than ever before.

But why does all this matter?

Because when it comes to TV, success is measured in ratings. Higher ratings mean increased advertising revenue, which in turn means happy investors. In the business world - and make no mistake about it, NASCAR is big business - all that matters is the bottom line.

In general, TV viewers are creatures of habit who respond well to consistency. They like to find their favorite programs with relative ease and without having to jump through too many hoops. If you don't believe this, just ask anyone associated with the hundreds of successful TV shows whose ratings crashed and burned after the program changed to a new air day or time.

The more a program hops around, the harder viewers have to work to find it, and some will undoubtedly decide that it's not worth the trouble.

Of course, diehard NASCAR fans will find a way to track down the week's events no matter how many schedule variations they have to sort through.

But for the more casual fan, those new to the sport, or those who do not have ready access to cable or satellite programming, finding race events on NASCAR's ever-fluctuating TV schedule may be more trouble than its worth.

Overall, TV ratings are down this year compared to last, and an erratic TV schedule may or may not be one of the factors at fault.

Either way, it makes my list of things I don't get about NASCAR.

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN. Although we may not always agree with what is said, we do feel it's our duty to give a voice to those who have something relevant to say about the sport of auto racing.