NASCAR returned to North Wilkesboro Speedway this weekend for the first time since 1996. It’s not a points event, but the All-Star race is a big deal thanks to its $1 million top prize and the allure of returning to a beloved track that has undergone a major makeover.
So why is the race shown Sunday night on a cable channel instead of a broadcast network that would offer a larger potential audience?
The All-Star Race comes to North Wilkesboro Speedway
Although Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, and Kyle Larson make the news on a regular basis, NASCAR doesn’t have the star power of the days of Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, and Dale Jarrett. They were the top three at the Tyson Holly Farms 400 on September 29, 1996, in their last NASCAR appearance at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
In the years since, the track has gone from rarely used to closed, with the entire property undergoing disrepair. That’s why the year-long renewal, which Dale Earnhardt Jr. has championed so much, is such a big deal. NASCAR brings its All-Star Race there, providing the entire nation with a chance to see the transformation.
North Wilkesboro is a 0.625-mile oval, exactly the kind of short-track enthusiasts have been clamoring for a few years to join the ranks of Bristol, Martinsville and Richmond in the annual schedule.
Sunday will go a long way toward determining whether the venue can find a long-term spot in the schedule, whether as host to the All-Star Race or as a points race when Fontana goes out of play during its renovation.
The All-Star Race is on FS1 instead of Fox
Fox Sports returns for the final four racing weekends in the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series. After the All-Star Race and then the Coca-Cola 600 in nearby Charlotte, the series moves to World Wide Technology Raceway and then Sonoma. Starting June 25 in Nashville, NBC Sports is taking over the coverage through Championship 4 in November.
However, Fox is coming out with a bang rather than a bang in the sense that most of the back half of its schedule has called for the racing to be shown on the FS1 cable network, which has less reach than the Fox TV network. That’s the case again this year with the All-Star Race.
Fox Sports used to air the All-Star Race on Speed Network, another cable channel, and moved that race to FS1 in 2014. It has stayed there ever since. For what it’s worth, NBC also puts a lot of its racing coverage on cable TV, namely USA Network.
Why would Fox and NBC move the Cup Series races to cable when they spend a combined $820 million a year in rights fees? Part of it is to make room for other shows that you want to feature where viewership is higher.
In addition, network executives get to know that sports fans follow their favorite drivers to wherever races are shown. Sending them to FS1 and the USA enhances the value of these channels when it comes time for broadcasters to negotiate carriage fees with cable and satellite providers.
Fox changed the look of its racing coverage in 2013
Fox Broadcasting Company began offering programming in 1986 with a modest content schedule and slowly elevated to a full offering of prime time options. However, it did not have a sports department until Fox was awarded part of an NFL contract in 1994.
In 2001, NASCAR became a cornerstone of Fox’s sports schedule, with the races shown on network television as well as on Speed Channel, a cable company owned by Fox. In August 2013, the network expanded its capacity with the launch of FS1 and FS2, cable networks intended to compete with Disney’s ESPN channels. To do this, Fox shut down Speed Channel.
The positive was that Fox added NASCAR content on FS1. Aside from moving seven Cup Series races to its new cable channel in 2014, it has scheduled 14 Xfinity Series dates and the entire Truck Series schedule there. In addition, this season is the 10thy general NASCAR Race Hubits evening news program during the season.
Have a question or comment about the race? John Moriello of Sportscasting does a column in the mailbag every Friday. Write to him on [email protected]
