How will the Summer Olympics affect NASCAR?
By Asher Fair
With the Summer Olympics set to be broadcast on NBC and NBC Sports Network, how will NASCAR’s top three series be affected?
The 2020 — yes, the 2020 — Summer Olympics are scheduled to begin on Friday, July 23, 2021, and they are scheduled to run through Sunday, August 8. They are set to be broadcast exclusively on both NBC and NBC Sports Network, two networks that broadcast quite a few NASCAR races.
So how will the Summer Olympics affect the NASCAR broadcast schedule over the next few weeks?
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Fortunately, this was accounted for when the 2021 schedule was released late last September. Instead of the usual one-week break toward the end of the regular season, there is slated to be a two-week break in the Cup Series schedule.
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The final race before this break is scheduled to take place this Sunday, July 18 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. NBC Sports Network is set to broadcast this race, and then there are no races on the schedule during the following two weekends.
Cup Series action is scheduled to resume on Sunday, August 8 at Watkins Glen International. NBC Sports Network is set to broadcast this race as well.
The Xfinity Series schedule will be affected, but only slightly. The final race before this break is scheduled to take place at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 17. NBC Sports Network is set to broadcast this race, and once again, there are no races on the schedule during the following two weekends.
However, there is still one race slated to take place during the Olympics. Xfinity Series action is scheduled to resume on Saturday, August 7 at Watkins Glen International. CNBC, not NBC Sports Network, is set to broadcast this race due to the overlap.
As for the Truck Series schedule, there is one race scheduled to take place during the Olympics, with that race also being scheduled for Saturday, August 7 at Watkins Glen International.
However, nothing changes on the television broadcast front, as Fox Sports 1 is slated to broadcast every race on the schedule without any help from NBC or NBC Sports Network.
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So while the 2020 Summer Olympics are set to be broadcast exclusively on NBC and NBC Sports Network, this will not have any sort of major effect on the NASCAR broadcast schedule despite the fact that both of these networks broadcast dozens of races each year.