The race start times for NASCAR Cup races have been one of the biggest talking points of the season so far. Both drivers and fans have time and again criticized the race start timing. However, Ricky Stenhouse Jr has now proposed a new time that the races could start at, and the fans have supported the same. 

This weekend, things were different as the race timing was preponed by nearly two hours during the NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway. Post the race, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. took to his X account on June 14 to express his desire to have the races start at 1 pm. 

"One thing I do know after today is more 1pm start times please!!!" Stenhouse Jr. wrote.

The green flag for the 160-lap event was waved at 1 pm instead of the planned 3:21 pm.

The conversation around race start timings took flight after the Nashville race was postponed due to the weather. The green flag, which was to be waved at 7:20 pm, was pushed back to 8:30 pm.

This meant that the race went on up to almost midnight, causing problems for the fans who needed to get to work the next day. So, concerns about the same were raised by the fans.  

However, NASCAR’s sanctioning body has not yet indicated any intention to make any changes in the race start time. This suggestion from Stenhouse Jr caught a lot of attention from the NASCAR fans.

NASCAR Fans Support  Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s Suggestion After the Latest Race Timing Debate

Several fans flooded the Hyak Motorsports driver’s comment section in support of starting NASCAR races at 1 pm. One fan wrote, “Amen. Seems like all the East Coast races used to start at 1 back in the day."

Originally scheduled for just after 3 p.m. ET with a 3:21 p.m. green flag, the June 14 Pocono Raceway race was pushed forward to 1 p.m. ET due to potential inclement weather. The Prime pre-race coverage kicked off at 12 p.m. ET, with driver introductions taking place around 12:30 p.m. ET.

Yet another fan showed their support for the suggestion and also expressed their desire for a Saturday night race. He wrote, " 100% on point. Great for fans. Great for drivers. Gives time for any kind of delays. More 1pm starts and Saturday night races."

In a way, afternoon starts fit well into TV scheduling, capturing strong weekend viewership without running too late into the night.

Another fan pitched in to support the 1 pm schedule, even though it is inconvenient for people who work long night shifts.

"Even though it makes it tough for a guy that works 12hr night shift, I still vouch for this. I’m more than happy going to work on 4hrs sleep if I can watch the entire race before work," wrote the fan.

Another fan agreed to an early race start but also pointed out that 1 pm is usually when the IndyCar race also starts, hence pointing out a potential clash in broadcasting. She wrote, "I agree , but that’s generally when Indycar starts."

What do you think about Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s suggestion for an early race start? Let us know in the comments. 

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar