Beyond the Flag
Fansided

NASCAR: Why doesn’t the sport show its lowest divisions live?

By Alex Herbst

HAMPTON, VA - APRIL 11: Crew members push the #15 GMR Lawncare/Shady Grady Racing Chevrolet, driven by Jeremy Gerstner, to be inspected before the NWSMT Pepsi 150 at Langley Speedway on April 11, 2015 in Hampton, Virginia. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
HAMPTON, VA - APRIL 11: Crew members push the #15 GMR Lawncare/Shady Grady Racing Chevrolet, driven by Jeremy Gerstner, to be inspected before the NWSMT Pepsi 150 at Langley Speedway on April 11, 2015 in Hampton, Virginia. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Already three of NASCAR’s divisions are shown live to audiences around the United States. But what about some of their smaller regional series and tours?

While NASCAR‘s television ratings and viewership continue to slip in 2017, their presence and exposure on TV continue to be one of the largest among the major American sports. Unlike Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association, NASCAR’s developmental leagues, the Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series, are televised nationally. But what about their regional tours?

Though on a smaller scale, the popularity of the Whelen Modified Tour and the K&N Pro Series cannot be underestimated. The modifieds have proven their metal in the northeast United States, with wildly popular races at tracks like New Hampshire, Stafford, and Thompson. Meanwhile, the K&N Pro Series brings up and coming stars into stock cars like Harrison Burton and Todd Gilliland. However, fans of these series have limited options for live coverage.

Unless you’re at the race track, you often cannot find coverage of these two divisions of NASCAR. Speed51.com has provided semi-live commentary and leaderboards for these on the HomeTracks website, but no live video feed. Originally, these series were to be included on the website FansChoice.TV. Today, the only NASCAR properties there include the Whelen Euro Series and coverage of IMSA support series and qualifying.

More from NASCAR

So what is the likely reason for this lack of live video? Television contracts seem to be the answer. When NBC Sports signed on to cover the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series, they also picked up delayed rights to K&N Pro Series and Whelen Modified Tour races. This was done to help bolster NBCSN’s collection of sports rights, but one has to wonder how many are actually tuning in to see these delayed races.

Would it really hurt NBCSN’s bottom line if NASCAR offered these races live on FansChoice.TV or another online source? The impact would seem to be minimal, as casual fans may still stop and watch the races on their highlights shows. The same can be said for Canada’s Pinty’s Series and Mexico’s Peak Series, which currently have no TV coverage within the United States whatsoever.

Ultimately, this decision carries some heavier impetus for the 2018 campaign. New Hampshire Motor Speedway just announced their race weekend to replace the lost Cup Series race, which will feature three of these series. Most notably, this will include the first American race for the Pinty’s Series, as well as the longest Whelen Modified Tour race in series history. Fans of both series certainly would like to see live coverage of these historic events.

Next: Chase Elliott experiences 'the one that got away'...again

Would you watch races from the K&N Pro Series or the Whelen Modified Tour if they were available online and on demand? What about the Pinty’s Series or Peak Mexico Series? Be sure to catch highlights of both the Whelen Modified Tour and K&N Pro Series all season long on NBCSN.

Home/NASCAR