The Quaker State 400 at Echopark Speedway faced weather interruptions yesterday, as the race was delayed for over three hours. But the race broadcasters, TNT Sports, had to bear the brunt of it.

The race eventually resulted in Ford’s second win of the season, once again coming via Team Penske’s Ryan Blaney. But after 109 laps, the race was red-flagged due to heavy rain and lightning.

As a result, there was a three-hour delay, and the race eventually came to an end at 1:45 AM local time. Dale Earnhardt Jr. acknowledged the delay in a tweet, but said it was ‘worth it.’ 

“Damn, that was a long day but worth it. Glad we got to see the finish. Atlanta Motor Speedway can't be beat. What a show,” Junior tweeted on X. 

Given that the race already started quite late and then extended well into Monday, the tweet has not been well received by people online. The broadcasters faced scrutiny for scheduling the races late on Sundays.

One user on X highlighted the impracticality of night races, saying, “This is the problem with Sunday night racing. A weather delay and no TV audience at 2 am on our most competitive track.”

Another user seemed to have similar thoughts, adding how delays can hamper the working person’s schedule. They said, “I understand there are a lot of stuff that needs to happen for these races, but a race that starts after 4pm should be on Saturdays. I would of loved to watch it, but have to work early in the morning. One of my favorite tracks too.”

One user also suggested making viewership metrics and in-person attendance figures public, since they do not believe TV audiences actually stayed up till the end of the race. 

They said, “I'd love to hear the viewership numbers as well as the in-person fan numbers. There's no way the working-class viewers stayed up until 2am Monday morning watching. I understand wanting to finish the event, but the whole point of the event is for us, the fans. Fans = money.”

Echoing similar thoughts, more users chimed in, with one saying, “The best race of the year was run while people were asleep”, while another added, “Unfortunately, I’ll have to take your word for it.”

Bubba Wallace’s post-race penalty

The 23XI driver could have potentially earned a third podium of his season, but unfortunately, he was penalized. While he crossed the finish line just behind Ryan Blaney, he was demoted to P29. 

According to the race officials, Wallace went below the yellow line on the final lap to gain position over the frontrunners, Blaney and Christopher Bell. Wallace, obviously, disagreed with the decision, and had a meeting in Hauler afterwards, but to no avail. 

“(The rule) says ‘advancing your position,’ which I did not do,” he said, as reported by Daytona Beach News Journal. “I stayed third, and I was all over the brakes to make sure I did not advance. As soon as I turned, I’m like, ‘I’m going to wreck.’ I got on the brakes. He kept underneath me. Still ended up side-by-side.

"That move should’ve propelled us to the lead, and it didn’t, because I knew it was wrong, because my car did not like that move. We’ll see what we can do. But I did not advance my position. I stayed third from entry to three all the way until 50 yards away.”

Wallace remains in 13th place with 493 points, 298 behind the standings leader and his 23XI boss Denny Hamlin.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest! 

Written by

Aaradhya Singh