NASCAR Start Times

yep actually done at the request of the networks, gets the race closer to prime time. they are paying most of the bills these days.
 
Wait, what are you saying? NASCAR never does anything that is not what the fans want. We asked for the playoffs, we asked for stage racing. we asked for the trackside superstore, we asked for clean air to be king and we asked for later start times and NASCAR agreed to give us what we want. Good grief, do we not know what we want?
 
FLRacingFan said:
It's for TV, not the race-going fan. It might work, it might not, but when they changed that this year they weren't thinking about selling tickets.
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It will be interesting to see if the later starts do impact viewership in a positive way. I don't understand why waving the green at 3:30 instead of 1:30 is better but I am sure there are studies that back it up.
 
Ticker prices and other things I'm sure play a lot into that also. I mean, if people aren't going because they worry about getting home to late, they shouldn't go to a race anyway because you know of a thing called rain that could make a 1pm race still start at 3pm, maybe take the next day off after a race.
 
Blaze88 said:
Ticker prices and other things I'm sure play a lot into that also. I mean, if people aren't going because they worry about getting home to late, they shouldn't go to a race anyway because you know of a thing called rain that could make a 1pm race still start at 3pm, maybe take the next day off after a race.
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Later starts are more likely to have an effect on those who wait until the weekend's weather forecast before they make a decision. It's one thing to buy a ticket on the likelihood it will run without interruption, as most races do. It's another thing to know in advance it's going to start too late for you to comfortably get home.

But as someone else pointed out, the fans in the stands don't matter as much as those at home. I too wonder if the shift is having the desired effect. As more people time-shift their viewing, start times make less difference.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Later starts are more likely to have an effect on those who wait until the weekend's weather forecast before they make a decision. It's one thing to buy a ticket on the likelihood it will run without interruption, as most races do. It's another thing to know in advance it's going to start too late for you to comfortably get home.

But as someone else pointed out, the fans in the stands don't matter as much as those at home. I too wonder if the shift is having the desired effect. As more people time-shift their viewing, start times make less difference.
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Still, if you're going to a race and normally work mornings it's probably best to take off anyway, because of the likely hood it could rain. That should go for anything you go to that rain could effect it. Plus Sunday Night Football, and Sunday games late in the day sell out still, so I don't think time has much to do with it. But you know, that's just me.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Later starts are more likely to have an effect on those who wait until the weekend's weather forecast before they make a decision. It's one thing to buy a ticket on the likelihood it will run without interruption, as most races do. It's another thing to know in advance it's going to start too late for you to comfortably get home.

But as someone else pointed out, the fans in the stands don't matter as much as those at home. I too wonder if the shift is having the desired effect. As more people time-shift their viewing, start times make less difference.
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at one time during the Daytona 500 this year 27 million people were watching..so yeah way many more fans watch it at home
 
Blaze88 said:
Still, if you're going to a race and normally work mornings it's probably best to take off anyway, because of the likely hood it could rain. That should go for anything you go to that rain could effect it. Plus Sunday Night Football, and Sunday games late in the day sell out still, so I don't think time has much to do with it. But you know, that's just me.
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STICK AND BALL ALERT
Facilities with home teams aren't a very good comparison. They have large local audiences and aren't as dependent on traveling fans. You don't see campgrounds around NFL stadiums.
 
many years ago we made the decision, we would not go to the races on race day. two or more hours in traffic to get to the race track and three are more hours to get out of traffic on the way home just ruins the day. we camp until Monday morning.
 
Blaze88 said:
Ticker prices and other things I'm sure play a lot into that also. I mean, if people aren't going because they worry about getting home to late, they shouldn't go to a race anyway because you know of a thing called rain that could make a 1pm race still start at 3pm, maybe take the next day off after a race.
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I think that depending on the type of work you do, your age and the time you have to get up in the morning the starting times could have a big impact. If I know that I will likely get home from a race between 10-11PM I can deal with it. If that becomes midnight and 1:00 AM then it becomes a problem.
 
Charlie Spencer said:
Later starts are more likely to have an effect on those who wait until the weekend's weather forecast before they make a decision. It's one thing to buy a ticket on the likelihood it will run without interruption, as most races do. It's another thing to know in advance it's going to start too late for you to comfortably get home.

But as someone else pointed out, the fans in the stands don't matter as much as those at home. I too wonder if the shift is having the desired effect. As more people time-shift their viewing, start times make less difference.
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Good point as the later starting times for me mean seeing more races on Monday or not at all if time gets away from me.
 
Skoalbandit33 said:
I think that depending on the type of work you do, your age and the time you have to get up in the morning the starting times could have a big impact. If I know that I will likely get home from a race between 10-11PM I can deal with it. If that becomes midnight and 1:00 AM then it becomes a problem.
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I maybe possibly, but like I said it seems Football doesn't have that problem and they got a lot of late games as well, that sometimes people will travel for for miles and miles as well. If NASCAR was better right now, I think more people would go even with the late start times. It's a mix of how down hill NASCAR is going, and the late times IMO.
 
Yep. Idea of walking out of track around 640 on Sunday evening just to start the journey to the car... then comes the road trip home...

Also interesting that years ago the Michigan race being 500 miles was too long... now they take a 400 mile race and start at 315
 
Charlie Spencer said:
STICK AND BALL ALERT
Facilities with home teams aren't a very good comparison. They have large local audiences and aren't as dependent on traveling fans. You don't see campgrounds around NFL stadiums.
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Thanks for the STICK AND BALL ALERT as some folks get madder than a wet hen when they are spoken of!
 
Charlie Spencer said:

STICK AND BALL ALERT
Facilities with home teams aren't a very good comparison. They have large local audiences and aren't as dependent on traveling fans. You don't see campgrounds around NFL stadiums.
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Some people do travel with their teams or further for their team. If I went to a night Falcons game I wouldn't be home til probably 1 or 2 in the morning.
 
Blaze88 said:
I maybe possibly, but like I said it seems Football doesn't have that problem and they got a lot of late games as well, that sometimes people will travel for for miles and miles as well. If NASCAR was better right now, I think more people would go even with the late start times. It's a mix of how down hill NASCAR is going, and the late times IMO.
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Nascar fans travel from further away IIRC
 
Blaze88 said:
Some people do travel with their teams or further for their team. If I went to a night Falcons game I wouldn't be home til probably 1 or 2 in the morning.
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You wouldn't make onto I75 before 1 in the morning lol.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
I'm not a fan of the later start times. Living in Texas, Central Time Zone --- I'd much prefer the races to start about noon.
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When I lived on central time many of the races started at 11:00 AM in the 80's and 90's and that meant the green dropped by 11:04 and it suited me just fine.
 
DIDIT said:
Wait, what are you saying? NASCAR never does anything that is not what the fans want. We asked for the playoffs, we asked for stage racing. we asked for the trackside superstore, we asked for clean air to be king and we asked for later start times and NASCAR agreed to give us what we want. Good grief, do we not know what we want?
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I'm still angry they took away my caution clock in the truck series.
 
I get it but boy it sucks esp at a track like MIS where you have to tram everywhere bc the place is so frickin spread out.

We didn't get to the car until 745 and campground until 830
 
Mispeedway15 said:
I get it but boy it sucks esp at a track like MIS where you have to tram everywhere bc the place is so frickin spread out.

We didn't get to the car until 745 and campground until 830
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If I was a fan at the track I would rather get the race in early and get to where I was going after the race earlier but that is just me.
 
JohnHill said:
Shortest trip to a cup track form me is 2 hr 45 min.
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I think that's another issue that unfortunately nobody can do anything about. A lot of people don't want to travel those long distances anymore just to spend a day at the track.
 
I've been attending races for years and I certainly prefer the earlier start times. First and foremost it gives a larger window for the event to be run in. A 3:20 start at Pocono in late July is just dumb. The amount of wiggle room is extremely small.

A lot of these tracks are also located in isolated areas. I think it's wise to get people out of the facility before the sunset. Most of these tracks simply lack the infrastructure to operate after dark. The late starts also allow more time for people to drink which ultimately is not a good thing. Nothing is more annoying than more drunks.

It really sucks how NASCAR stopped caring about the race attending fan. That's how this sport gained popularity. Going to a race was like making a sacred pilgrimage. It was like a Grateful Dead mixed with an SEC football game. The live experience has always been FAR better than the one you get on TV. It truly was the "The Greatest Spectator Sport in America". Than the sport sold it's soul to TV and this is what we got. NASCAR was forever doomed starting in 2001. The downfall had nothing to do with what happened in turn 4 at Daytona...
 
1:30, 3:30..... Whatever. Doesn't make a difference to me. Attending a race from the distances I drive is a mini vacation. I always make arrangements to stay the extra day or more if needed.

There's always another reason around the corner for the lack of fans in the stands. This week, start times. Next week, who knows? Shifting the blame to later start times is BS IMO.
 
Move the races to Saturday. Big problem solved right there for those attending the race, plus likely a TV ratings boost during NFL season.
 
Ford Racing said:
I think that's another issue that unfortunately nobody can do anything about. A lot of people don't want to travel those long distances anymore just to spend a day at the track.
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Especially when many nascar facilities are dilapidated compared to the NFL's.
 
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