Let’s just say that this is the weekend of changes. NASCAR started the trend by making changes to the course of the track at the Roval, and the next thing to be changed was the curb turtles. While drivers and fans reeled from the Roval changes, the NASCAR community those were all the surprises for the cutoff race weekend. However, once the race started, NASCAR made another decision, and this one was not as appreciated by fans as expected.

During the first stage of the race, Bob Pockrass shared the news about NASCAR planning on shortening the race on X. This came as a shock to many fans who have been waiting for the Roval 400 to see who makes it into the Cup Series playoff top 8.

In the post on X, Bob Pockrass mentioned, “Well, NASCAR has decided it WON’T race under the lights… the predetermined sunset time is 6:40 p.m. ET if for some reason there is an extensive track repair.” Upon hearing this news, many fans felt like there was more to the story that NASCAR is revealing. What adds to the confusion is the Charlotte Motor Speedway’s history. One of NASCAR’s earliest races under the lights took place at the track back in 1992.

The track just underwent a major configuration and with the curb height being reduced, it felt like all the work on the track should have been done. However, on digging deeper, some fans started to believe that it was not only NASCAR who made the decision, but even the broadcasting network, NBC, played a hand in it.

Fans blame NBC for the Roval race being cut short

Fans were buzzing with frustration and disbelief after hearing about the changes to the Roval 400. One user vented, “Who is making these calls and can they be fired, please?” Clearly, they weren’t impressed with the decision-makers behind this abrupt shift. Their frustrations reached a level where they couldn’t help but suggest that the person calling the shots get fired.

Another chimed in with a hint of sarcasm, saying, “Nahhhhh, we just making up all the rules on the spot now.” Considering how often NASCAR has been changing its rules, this fan believes that the officials are just making them up on the spot. The fan shared their thoughts based on the multiple changes to the DVP rule that were made on the fly, and this is something they do not appreciate. Fans were clearly not happy when the DVP ruling came into play last weekend at Talladega, and this move from NASCAR has their blood boiling.

As the fans ramped up, one of them speculated, “Sounds more like NBC told them no.” According to this fan, NASCAR is shortening the rules and not letting drivers drive under the lights because their broadcast partner has another game planned up for their audiences.

They weren’t the only ones suspicious; another user asked, “Did @NBCSports @NASCAR force @NASCAR into this decision, or did they make it on their own? @bobpockrass.” This comment shows how the fans believe it is due to NBC being the race’s broadcast partner that NASCAR has decided to cut the race short. With the NFL season in full swing, NASCAR already suffered from having football ties on the weekend. When the Watkins Glen race took place, the 1.8 million viewer mark fell short of viewership expectations of the track. That was the same weekend as the Bengals vs Chiefs game, adding weight to this user’s point.

And, of course, there was the researched observation: “Hmmmm, maybe Sunday Night Football on NBC?” It was a light-hearted jab suggesting that NBC’s NFL coverage is what is leading to the race being cut short. They even added a screenshot of the NFL football match being queued for 5:30 PM, which coincides with the race timings.