After the delays that caused the race to be postponed at Michigan, fans have been looking for solutions to such situations. While many suggest that the races just start earlier, there is more to it than meets the eye. From TV broadcasters to NASCAR officials to team owners, all have a say when it comes to the sport, but ultimately the main factor here is money.

The FireKeepers Casino 400 was a disaster of an event in terms of timings, with many fans buying tickets for the race but not all of them getting to see it. Moving the race to Monday meant that most of the fans who have jobs, academic commitments, or personal reasons would not be able to watch the race live. So to find a solution to the same, Denny Hamlin was asked about starting races earlier on the Actions Detrimental podcast.

Why does Denny Hamlin not agree with starting races earlier?

Denny Hamlin has quite an interesting situation in NASCAR, as he is not only a current driver who competes on tracks but also the team boss for 23XI Racing. This gives him more insight on the organizational level when it comes to the sport. So when Jared Allen from Dirty Mo Media asked him about starting the race earlier at the cost of less money for the teams, Hamlin looked like he had his answer ready.

Jared Allen asked Hamlin if he would be okay as a team owner to say, “Yeah, let’s start all these races at 1 o’clock, and I’ll accept a little less money in favor of our fans; you know, who may get to see more races in person?” the 23XI Racing team boss replied, “Well, this is where the interests of the teams and NASCAR do not align.“ Explaining how NASCAR wants to get every dollar from the media channels as they get to keep the funds, he then said, “For us as teams, which is what we’ve been saying for years and years and years, we’re so sponsorship-based.”

The JGR No. 11 Toyota driver then explained how when NASCAR shifts networks, it also affects the start time, which leads to fans getting confused. Explaining the situation he has faced himself, Hamlin said, “There are many times when I’m like, ‘Where do I need to record? Like, where?’ because I like to come back home and watch, and I’m trying to figure out what time and where, right? This can’t be easy.” Credit where credit is due: Hamlin mentioned that there are a few avid fans who figure things out, but states that there aren’t enough of them as of now.

Although Hamlin touched on how NASCAR works with its media rights, the thing to consider here is the fact that the organization has made a $7  billion deal with FOX, NBC, Amazon, and Warner Bros., which pools in a lot of money that is distributed to the teams. Furthermore, Hamlin explained the difference between NASCAR and IndyCar in such situations, as he stated that he does not feel like the goals of NASCAR and drivers align.

How is IndyCar different from NASCAR when it comes to funding?

Denny Hamlin continued to share his thoughts as he explained the difference in how funding works in NASCAR vs IndyCar. Explaining the state of mind that most team owners have at the moment, he said, “We wish every race was on Fox or NBC, the big network. That’s what they do with IndyCar, right?” IndyCar is a different ballpark altogether, as the teams are completely reliant on sponsors, according to Hamlin.

NASCAR teams operate on both sponsorship money and funds from officials to keep the teams running and the sport alive. In these cases, because NASCAR gets money from television and it is they who decide when races go on, it is crucial to abide by their timing, irrespective of the collateral damage that occurs, as we have seen in Michigan.

With that said, what are your thoughts on NASCAR starting races early? Let us know if it is something you favor in the comments below.