Lap 284: ESPN's Heidi Game Ruse
Viewers in the Eastern and Central Time Zones of the USA were forced to switch from ABC to ESPN2 to see the finish of the race on Lap 284 as the network broadcast America's Funniest Home Videos at 7:30 PM EST, while ABC continued the race to its conclusion (313 laps) in the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones. NASCAR Chairman Brian France was enraged by this decision:
| “ | We didn't like, that was not what we had anticipated but we have talked to them . There were lots of circumstances that we have to consider, had their own issues to manage around. Unfortunately, we got the short end of that. They did not like the idea of having to pull out of ABC and operate the way they did . It is imperative that work closely together with for scheduling. | ” |
Other broadcast networks since 2001 (when the national television contracts took place) had previously broadcast races to the conclusion, even in rain delay cases. The 2002 UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the 2005 Aaron's 312 (NNS) at Talladega Superspeedway, and the 2005 Pepsi 400 at Daytona International Speedway each ran late past network hours and were retained on the broadcast network until their conclusions. ESPN, on the other hand, pulled a similar "Heidi Game" rule at the 2007 LifeLock 400 at the Kansas Speedway.
Read more about this topic: 2008 Checker Auto Parts 500
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