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Cars race during 2024 Daytona 500.
The Daytona 500 officially kicked off the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season with William Byron earning his first Harley J. Earl Trophy and ending a 10-year drought of Hendrick Motorsports winning The Great American Race. The season-opening event is always a big draw because it’s the sport’s Super Bowl, but this year’s edition had even more eyes tuning in due to the recent release of the Netflix docuseries, NASCAR: Full Speed.
With this increased attention, NASCAR had an opportunity to make a good first impression with many new fans. The overall racing product did just that. Unfortunately, those same people watching at home on television also experienced what has become a consistent fan complaint for years – commercials, and, more specifically, the large number of them included in the broadcast.
Daytona 500 Commercial Tracker:
Total Race Time: 3 Hours 27 Minutes
Total Commercial Breaks (Side-By-Side): 21 (5)
Total Commercials: 119
Total Time of Commercials: 49:55 (24.15% of broadcast)
Total Green-Flag Laps Missed on TV: 35
Company With Most Commercials: Busch (6)
After the highly anticipated 2023 race, which some jokingly referred to as the Commercial 500, I embarked on a mission to uncover the staggering number of commercials that fans were subjected to during the 200-lap event in 2024.
Let’s dive into the breakdown:
The 66th running of the 500 officially commenced at 4:34 p.m. ET, with fans being bombarded by their first set of commercials a mere seven minutes into the race. This interruption occurred due to an accident on Lap 5 involving multiple cars, including the legendary Jimmie Johnson, 2018 Daytona champion Austin Dillon, Harrison Burton, and rookie Carson Hocevar.
The initial break featured six ads, beginning with Corey LaJoie and his No. 7 Chili’s car. NASCAR’s long-standing partners such as Ford, Coke, and Walmart also made appearances. This commercial break lasted for two minutes and 30 seconds. Not surprisingly, Fox took advantage of the temporary halt in the action and squeezed in another set of commercials during the caution period. This break consisted of five spots and lasted for two minutes and 15 seconds.
The next set of advertisements occurred during green-flag action, commencing on Lap 18. This break showcased eight commercials, lasting two minutes and 45 seconds. Unfortunately, fans watching from home missed out on four laps of thrilling green-flag racing.
Throughout Stage 1, Fox aired three additional green-flag commercial breaks. By the end of this initial stage, fans had endured a total of eight commercial breaks, including one side-by-side break, along with a pair of breaks during the stage caution. This resulted in a whopping 55 commercials, consuming 20 minutes and 25 seconds of airtime. Regrettably, viewers also missed out on 14 laps of exciting green-flag racing.
With no natural cautions during the second stage, the number of green-flag commercial breaks naturally increased. Fans were subjected to seven breaks, including one side-by-side break, with two occurring during the stage intermission. These breaks showcased a total of 37 commercials, spanning 16 minutes and 25 seconds. Tragically, fans missed an additional 15 laps of exhilarating green-flag racing.
As the race entered its final stage, fans anticipated a decrease in the volume of commercials. Typically, races are front-loaded with ads to ensure that no on-track action is missed towards the end. This year followed a similar pattern, with six ad breaks in the final stage, including three side-by-side breaks, and two breaks due to late-race crashes.
To their credit, Fox delayed going to a commercial break for several minutes during the first crash, commonly referred to as “the big one,” which occurred with only eight laps remaining and involved a staggering 18 cars.
During the last stage, the network aired a total of 27 commercials, totaling 13 minutes and five seconds. Fans were relieved to miss the fewest number of green-flag laps during this stage, with only six laps slipping through their fingers.
For long-time NASCAR fans, the Daytona 500 broadcast and its overwhelming commercial load were nothing out of the ordinary. However, for those who were new to the sport, especially those who had previously watched F1, the sheer volume of commercials must have been a shocking experience.
In the end, these newcomers will remember a race that offered plenty of heart-pounding action, interrupted by an overwhelming number of commercials, culminating in a controversial finish.
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