The Daytona.....400???

The Daytona 500 has been the mecca of auto racing since the 1979 race (the 1st nationally televised NASCAR event). The 500 has been considered THE race of the year, the "Super Bowl" of auto racing. Only the Indy 500 comes close to the stature of the Daytona 500.

So, why can't NASCAR's owner get it together when it comes to the largest event of his sport? Dropping the green flag at 3:51 p.m. EST is incredibly ridiculous. I understand they want to race part of the event at night, but there were still 90 laps to go when the lights came on. This race is supposed to finish, or at least run mostly, during the day.

NASCAR is a sport that prides itself in tradition. Turning the 500 into a night race is a far cry from that idea. Brian France is no stranger, however, to completely ignoring the traditions of the sport; removing the races from Rockingham and continually ignoring the Southeastern fan base that made NASCAR what it is today.

The biggest problem of all is the thought its okay to finish the Daytona 500 under a rain delay. Baseball does not end its World Series for a rain delay, football does not end the Super Bowl for one, and if the ice melted during the Stanley Cup the NHL would have it fixed and picked up again.

Many fans were upset that the Daytona 500 was called so quickly after rain began to fall, just
after 6:30 p.m. EST. There was less than 50 laps remaining at the time, which was well past the required halfway mark to make the race official. Matt Kenseth was declared the winner early, and everyone was sent to the exits without even an attempt to wait it out and dry the track. What's up with that? Didn't the Pepsi 400 located at the same track go until like 2:00 a.m. about a year ago?

Yes, I know it could rain just as easy at 1:00 as it could at 6:00, but with such a late start time, there is little, if any, "wiggle room" in the event schedule to compensate for red flags, rain, or wrecks. However, there is plenty of state of the art weather predictors and NASCAR knew rain was headed towards the track, so how hard is it to maybe cut out some of the pre-race nonsense? Just make an announcement at the track and don't worry about the viewers at home. The coverage was on at 2 pm anyway, and I'm sure I speak for most fans when I say I would rather miss the start of the race then not get to see the 200th lap at all.

What ever happened to earlier start times in NASCAR, like 12:30 or 1:30 p.m.? In the 2009 schedule, only two races start earlier than 2:00 p.m. Those are Talladega, on Nov. 11, at 1:15 p.m., and Martinsville, on Oct. 25, at 1:45 p.m. There only five races which start at 2 p.m.; that leaves 29 races starting later in the afternoon.

The television networks want later starting times to make races an option for the entire country. A 3:30 EST start meant it was 12:30 PST. I guess it also helps with the church crowd, as they can go to service, grab a bite to eat, change clothes, and be back home to watch the race.
Had the Daytona 500 started at 1:30 p.m., the full 500 miles would have been completed before the rain ever arrived. Yes, it would have made it 10:30 a.m. start in California, but I don't think that makes that big of a difference.

Probably also taken into consideration was the fact that FOX had a full lineup of prime-time shows slated to air on Sunday night, including the first HD episode of The Simpsons.
For those that would suggest that FOX shift the race to one of its other networks, that would not be likely. They had spent weeks advertising the "Great American Race" to the nation. They would have looked like they were not giving sufficient priority to such a major sporting event.

Again though, an earlier start time could have been scheduled. Keith Urban can probably sing just as well at 12:30 as he can at 2:30, and Tom Cruise can probably drive the pace car just as well at the earlier time. Besides, we already have a night race at Daytona later in on the season.
Could it be that FOX pushed NASCAR to make a quick decision and “blame it on the rain,” so as not to interrupt The Simpsons? Who really runs NASCAR? Is it FOX, ESPN, or is it NASCAR themselves?

My advice to NASCAR: Listen to the fans before you don't have any. If people paid for 500 miles, give them 500, or at least act like you are trying to. NASCAR can not continue to allow its premiere event to finish early. It is a horrible image to relay to the nation and the sporting world. If Brian France wants to be the visionary his daddy once was... he can start by fixing the mess he has made with the Daytona 500.