Going two abreast (wide) all the way around the track was once considered risky and counterproductive in terms of wind resistance but advances in aerodynamics and the drudgery of restrictor plates made two-wide either necessary or advantageous depending on your viewpoint.
This became three-wide on a rather narrow and steeply-banked track - which obviously leaves little and in many cases zero space between the cars. It’s essentially one big jigsaw puzzle with the pieces loosely connected and when one goes they all go.
I’m a recent adopter of YouTubeTV and while giving Google more cash up front and sacrificing some privacy is not high on my wishlist it’s certainly cheaper, better and more useful than AT&T/DirecTV.
YouTubeTV’s DVR is unlimited (I’m whispering that in case they start moving goalposts) so I’m able to record any and all sporting events for later viewing - which I did with the 500 due to the rain delays and the Monday finish.
Fast-forwarding provides little thumbnails above the timeline. What was most shocking and dismaying to me, even as a longtime NASCAR viewer (albeit a casual one) was the staggering number of ads. Every time I moved my mouse and stopped it seemed a commercial was on the screen. Full screen. Half screen. And then there were Fox’s own inane interruptions. Shots involving the cameras on the cars and the track in full screen view seemed to be a rarity rather than the bulk of the broadcast (which is what they should have been). A comparison with any Formula One race will be an even more sobering reminder that NASCAR races should precious little of the actual race.
Sports leagues and broadcasters complain that short audience attention spans are hurting their live gate and ratings. But who fired the first shot? I would say it’s the broadcasters, especially Fox on all sports, who produce their events like they’re on a combination of crack cocaine and double espresso. Noise, lights, graphics, whiz-bang sound FX, shouty announcers, cheesy 90s heavy metal music. Shots of the announcer booth at the track. Shots of the studio analysts - DURING THE DAMNED RACE. If you don’tt have ADHD before a Fox broadcast you probably have it after. They can’t pay attention to the event they have paid handsomely to air - the audience has no prayer.
I noticed that too
It’s as if they thought the race was boring so they constantly injected side bits about the cameras in the cars and other race trivia...