Fox will showcase Talladega qualifying on main network
In the most emphatic endorsement yet of NASCAR's move to knockout qualifying, the time trials once regarded as the season's most laborious will become among its most highly visible.
The May 3 session at Talladega Superspeedway for the Sprint Cup Series will be televised live at 1 p.m. ET on Fox. NASCAR officials believe it's the first time a qualifying session aside from the Daytona 500 ever has been aired live on network TV (it's certainly the first since the dawn of the sport's national TV contract era in 2001).
"Fox taking the chance to put qualifying on the broadcast network certainly speaks volumes of how they view the success of the new format," NASCAR managing director of broadcasting Seth Bacon told USA TODAY Sports.
The elimination format, in which drivers make laps in groups across multiple rounds for 40 minutes instead of one session for single-car runs, made its debut at Phoenix International Raceway. Aside from initial safety concerns (which NASCAR addressed after the third race by changing its rules to make engine cooling easier), the new format has been embraced by drivers and fans, which has been reflected by burgeoning crowds and TV viewership for qualifying.
In 2014, Sprint Cup qualifying has averaged 714,000 viewers as ratings have increased 22% over last year in comparable events (which doesn't include sessions affected by rain). Last Friday's Southern 500 qualifying at Darlington Raceway was Fox Sports 1's top-rated telecast of the week (outperforming a Red Sox-Yankees game) with a 56% increase in viewers over last year's session.
"This move is a direct result of the double-digit ratings gains," said Bill Wanger, Fox Sports' executive vice president of programming, research and content strategy. "We are thrilled to highlight this new format on Fox and what more exciting place to do that than Talladega Superspeedway."
Under the previous format, qualifying was synonymous with monotony at Talladega, where it often took nearly three hours to crown a pole-winner at NASCAR's longest track. But some are anticipating next month's session at Talladega could be wild. Drivers are expected to draft at speeds of more than 200 mph as they already do during the pair of 500-mile races at the 2.66-mile oval that is known for close finishes and massive pileups.
"A big wreckfest and a disaster," Brad Keselowski said last month when asked how he thought time trials would unfold at Talladega. "The superspeedway version of this qualifying is very interesting. It is not something I am looking forward to; we will have to figure it out."
Bacon said NASCAR and Fox began talking a few weeks ago about putting qualifying on network TV, and there could be more opportunities for bigger platforms in the future.
"This format is appealing on many levels with the condensed timeframe, the knockout factor and the excitement compared to the format before," he said. "We're constantly talking about ways to elevate the sport and use the qualifying product as a promotional vehicle for the races. Our partners see the value in all NASCAR programming, not just the race. It's definitely something we'll continue to consider."
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