{"id":460140,"date":"2026-02-07T17:46:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T17:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/460140\/"},"modified":"2026-02-07T17:46:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T17:46:15","slug":"nascar-insiders-push-back-on-criticism-of-fox-after-clash-broadcast-cut-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/460140\/","title":{"rendered":"NASCAR insiders push back on criticism of FOX after Clash broadcast cut-off"},"content":{"rendered":"

Backlash has been aimed at FOX following their decision to move NASCAR\u2019s<\/a> Clash off the main network on Wednesday when it started to run long. In response, two of the sport\u2019s most respected voices argued the frustration should be directed elsewhere.<\/p>\n

On the latest episode of The Teardown podcast<\/a>, Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi pushed back on the idea that FOX mishandled the broadcast of the weather-delayed Clash. They stated the network had little choice given how the event unfolded.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the part of the race that people are going to be like, \u2018Oh my gosh, this crossed the line,\u2019 was obviously the many, many cautions,\u201d Gluck stated<\/a>. \u201cIt didn\u2019t help that caution laps were not counted in this race.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gluck pointed to NASCAR\u2019s own fault, noting that the event stretched more than three hours despite being a 50-mile race on a quarter-mile track: \u201cThis race was three hours and 13 minutes total,\u201d Gluck explained. \u201cBut two hours and 13 minutes of that was under caution or red flag. Only one hour of it was green-flag racing. That\u2019s a little bit excessive for a 50-mile race.\u201d<\/p>\n

The prolonged stoppages ultimately forced FOX\u2019s hand. The Clash, which had already been postponed due to weather, ran well beyond its scheduled broadcast window: \u201cFrom FOX\u2019s standpoint, they actually went an hour over their window,\u201d Gluck explained.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cAnd this was a rescheduled window. At some point they\u2019re like, \u2018All right, I don\u2019t know what you guys are doing, but we\u2019ve got to go.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreover, Bianchi echoed that sentiment, saying criticism of the network ignores the flexibility FOX already showed: \u201cI don\u2019t blame FOX,\u201d Bianchi said. \u201cThey gave them three hours in prime time. They tried to do everything they could to give NASCAR the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Continuing, Bianchi contrasted the situation with other professional sports, where extended delays or chaotic pacing would also trigger tough programming decisions: \u201cAt some point you\u2019re like, \u2018What are we doing here?\u2019\u201d Bianchi elaborated. \u201cIf this is supposed to be something to promote the Daytona 500, we\u2019re going to ride or die with this. They tried.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, both acknowledged why fans were upset. With the race finishing on FS2, many viewers were caught off guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get it,\u201d Bianchi said. \u201cPeople recorded the race, then it flipped over, and how many people actually got FS2? It\u2019s just everything combined that left a bitter taste.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alas, The Clash at Bowman Gray Stadium was meant to serve as a high-energy showcase ahead of the regular season. Instead, a mix of weather delays, constant cautions and race format quirks created a messy viewing experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see it from both sides,\u201d Bianchi relented. \u201cBut how this night should have been versus how it actually was? \u2026 I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s a bitter taste in your mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Gluck and Bianchi, the takeaway is clear. FOX didn\u2019t abandon NASCAR. NASCAR\u2019s own structure and circumstances boxed the network into a difficult decision, one that few broadcasts would have handled differently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Backlash has been aimed at FOX following their decision to move NASCAR\u2019s Clash off the main network on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":460141,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":["post-460140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nascar","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nascar","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=460140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/460140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/460141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=460140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=460140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=460140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}