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William Byron, like his fellow drivers and NASCAR fans, was understandably excited to kick off the 2024 Cup Series season on February 4 in the Clash at the Coliseum. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other ideas with torrential rains and potentially historic flooding in the forecast on the scheduled date for the exhibition race.
NASCAR officials responded, and in an unprecedented action, moved all the racing festivities up 24 hours to February 3 in an attempt to beat the incoming weather. Before the rescheduled race, the Hendrick Motorsports driver visited with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, where he talked about the accelerated schedule and then unexpectedly proposed a solution for situations like this in the future.
“Yeah, I think it’s really progressive,” Byron said. “I mean, I think it’s a good start. I hope we can do that in the future, too, because we’ve all been through the events where we stay till Wednesday. And, it’s not fun for anyone, but I don’t think it’s productive either, for ratings and the excitement on-track and the buildup to it.
“So obviously I hope we can get in a system of maybe having a chance to flex during the week, kind of like the NFL does, because I feel like if we’re able to flex the race forward, sooner, we could get some people, tuned in, but I think it’ll be better than waiting out a rain delay for sure.”
What Is Flex Scheduling?
For those not familiar with what William Byron is suggesting, the NFL has been using a “flexible scheduling” procedure for Sunday Night Football since 2006, which is designed to ensure quality matchups on Sunday night throughout the season and provide unexpected teams with an opportunity to play their way into primetime.
In 2023, the NFL broadened the scope of flex scheduling and included Monday Night Football and Thursday Night Football on a trial basis.
Only available during certain windows of the season, flex scheduling allows the NFL to switch a game designated to air on Sunday, Monday, or Thursday nights, that features what might be considered less appealing teams due to their records, with another matchup between two teams and better records, and oftentimes, more on the line, like playoff berths or seeding.
The goal is to provide fans with an entertaining contest between two quality teams during primetime viewing. Before the NFL makes a final decision, it consults with the respective networks involved in the games being broadcast.
The NFL also makes it clear to its fans and ticket holders that games in the flex scheduling windows are subject to change and they should plan accordingly.
How Would It Work in NASCAR?
In the NFL, decisions to switch games are made anywhere from six to 28 days prior to the game. If a similar type of process were implemented in NASCAR for inclement weather purposes, as Byron suggested, 28 days would be out of the question.
However, six days or even something a little shorter, like maybe four, would be more realistic because it would allow officials to get a more complete picture of the upcoming forecast and make a more-informed decision.
Using the Clash as an example, officials knew days in advance about the upcoming storm. With that information and if flex scheduling had been an option, they could have consulted with Fox and made an announcement on February 1 or February 2 at the latest that the race had been moved from February 4 to February 3.
This advance notice would have given fans planning to attend the race as well as those watching at home with more than enough time to adjust their plans accordingly. And the end result would be more fans in the stands and better television ratings.
William Byron led the Cup Series in 2023 with six wins and developed a reputation as a driver to beat on a weekly basis. He started 2024 with a 10th-place finish in LA, but more importantly, offered up an idea that, if NASCAR decides to further explore and potentially implement at some point in the future, could make an impact on the sport and give fans another reason to appreciate him besides his driving talent.
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