Chase Elliott isn’t lobbying for more Saturday night races because he likes driving under the lights.
Instead, NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver believes they create a better experience for the people who spend money to attend races in person.
Speaking Saturday at North Wilkesboro Speedway, Elliott expanded on comments he first made during an appearance on the “Bussin’ With the Boys” podcast, explaining why he believes NASCAR should reconsider its current scheduling philosophy.
His argument centers on one thing: the fans.
Elliott says the idea came directly from NASCAR fans
Elliott said the suggestion wasn’t his alone. It came from conversations with fans who either struggled after attending Sunday night races or skipped them altogether because of work commitments the next morning.
“Yeah, honestly, those comments came directly from people that I know personally that either went to (Atlanta) and weren’t super thrilled about their Monday morning and probably won’t do it again, or people that chose not to go because they had to go to work on Monday morning,” Elliott said.
He continued:
“So it stemmed directly from fans of our sport; people that aren’t just watching on TV, people that are spending their money to come support us at the track in-person and in the stands. That was why I said that, just because I have heard it directly.”
Elliott acknowledged that television plays a major role in NASCAR scheduling but believes there’s room for compromise.
“And while I totally get that TV runs the show in a lot of ways, there are still a lot of people that like coming to the races and also probably would like a day at home to recover and kind of get their affairs in order to go back to work on Monday.”
Saturday nights create a different atmosphere
Elliott also said Saturday night races simply feel different from a fan’s perspective.
Growing up around the sport, he remembers them as some of NASCAR’s biggest events, creating an atmosphere that Sunday races often can’t match.
“I always thought they were the most fun, like as a kid, as a fan, coming to the races,” Elliott said. “The lead in, the excitement and energy for a Saturday night show, I thought, was pretty darn elite.”
He also pointed to the current sports calendar as another reason Saturday evenings could work. With the FIFA World Cup winding down and baseball dominating much of the summer sports landscape, Elliott believes NASCAR has an opportunity to attract more viewers while making life easier for fans attending races in person.
“I think a Saturday night race is super healthy for people at home watching. And also, the people that are here, it’s an opportunity for them to get home on Sunday and reset and go back to work on Monday.”
Whether NASCAR ultimately shifts more races to Saturday nights remains to be seen. But one of the sport’s biggest stars is making it clear that his reasoning has less to do with competition and everything to do with giving race fans a better overall experience.
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