One year after making much ado about standardized 1 PM ET start times, NASCAR will have later starts for several Chase For the Cup races.
Six of the ten Chase For the Cup races will have later start times this season, NASCAR confirmed to The Sporting News Thursday.
The Loudon, Dover, Kansas, Talladega and Martinsville races will move from 1 PM ET to 2 PM ET. The season-ending race from Homestead will move from 1 PM to 3 PM.
Overall, six Chase races will begin at 2 PM, three will begin at 3 PM, and one race will air on a Saturday night.
The changes come after last year’s Chase For the Cup was the lowest rated and least-viewed ever (2.7, 4.494 mil, ESPN/ABC). Every single Chase race had a decline in ratings compared to the previous year.
The decline in ratings also coincided with the bulk of the races moving from broadcast network ABC to cable network ESPN. However, ESPN is still set to carry nine of the ten Chase races this season.
