Have you ever watched a NASCAR Cup Series race and thought, “Man, there are way too many commercials.” Well, you’re not alone. That’s one of the biggest criticisms of television coverage of America’s fastest sport. On Wednesday morning, NBC Sports announced that they will be taking steps at three upcoming races to improve the viewer experience.
Beginning with this weekend’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway and continuing with upcoming events at Atlanta Motor Speedway (Sept. 8) and Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 6), NBC Sports broadcasts will run “NASCAR Nonstop” during all phases of green flag events. This means there will be no full-screen commercials during the green flag phase during the three most exciting remaining races of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series.
The decision was made to improve the experience for NASCAR fans.
“We are always committed to providing the best coverage for NASCAR viewers at home,” said Jeff Behnke, vice president of motorsports production for NBC Sports. “NBC Sports’ ‘NASCAR Nonstop’ gives fans what they want for these crucial races at Daytona, Atlanta and Talladega – live coverage of every lap under the green flag of the superspeedway races.”
As part of NASCAR Nonstop, split-screen advertising will continue to be seen during the green flag races at Daytona, Atlanta and Talladega, but at no point will fans be without access to a portion of the screen that shows what is happening at the green flag at the three racetracks.
Daytona and Talladega are superspeedway tracks, and Atlanta is a mini-superspeedway track after a redesign in 2022. At these three tracks, drivers cannot pull away from the field and must make their way from the front of the field to the back. The action is tight and nerve-wracking because basically every driver in the field has a chance to win the race. However, around every corner there is the possibility of a small mistake that can trigger a massive multi-car crash due to the tight groups of drivers.
The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway is Saturday, August 24. The telecast begins on NBC with “Countdown to Green” at 7:00 p.m. ET.
