‘Can you please be fired?’ – Angry fans hint at NBC’s hand behind NASCAR’s stunning Roval ruling

Let’s just say this is the weekend of change. NASCAR started the trend by making track changes at the Roval, and the next thing to change was the curb turtles. While drivers and fans were shocked by the Roval changes, the cutoff race weekend was full of surprises for the NASCAR community. However, when the race began, NASCAR made a different decision, but it was not as well received by fans as expected.

During the first leg of the race, Bob Pockrass shared the news that NASCAR plans to reschedule the race on August 8th.

In the post on X, Bob Pockrass mentioned: “Well, NASCAR has decided that it will NOT attempt racing under the lights…the designated sunset time is 6:40 p.m. ET if the track is due for major repairs for any reason.” When many fans heard this news, they felt there was more to the story NASCAR was revealing. Adding to the confusion is the history of Charlotte Motor Speedway. One of the first NASCAR races under floodlights took place at this track in 1992.

The track was undergoing a major redesign and with the curb height reduced it seemed as if all the work on the track should have been done. However, upon closer inspection, some fans came to believe that not only did NASCAR make the decision, but even NBC had a role in it.

Fans blame NBC for canceling the Roval race

Fans swarmed with frustration and disbelief when they heard about the changes to the Roval 400. One user vented: “Who is making these calls and can they please be fired?” Clearly they were not impressed with the decision makers behind this abrupt change. Their frustration reached a level where they couldn’t help but suspect that the person in charge was going to be fired.

Another chimed in with a touch of sarcasm and said: “Nooooo, throw out the rules on the spot now.” Considering how many times NASCAR has changed its rules, this fan believes officials are simply making them up on the spot. The fan shared his thoughts based on the numerous changes to the DVP rule that were made on the fly, and that’s something he doesn’t appreciate. Fans clearly weren’t happy when the DVP ruling came into play at Talladega last weekend, and this move from NASCAR has their blood boiling.

As fans gathered, one of them speculated: “Sounds more like NBC said no.” According to this fan, NASCAR is cutting rules and not allowing drivers to race under lights because their broadcast partner has scheduled another game for their audience.

They weren’t the only ones suspicious; Another user asked: “Did @NBCSports force @NASCAR to make this decision or did they make it on their own? @bobpockrass.” This comment shows how fans believe that NASCAR decided to cancel the race because NBC is the race’s broadcast partner. With the NFL season in full swing, NASCAR was already suffering from football draws over the weekend. When the race took place at Watkins Glen, the 1.8 million spectator mark fell short of the track’s viewership expectations. This was the same weekend as the Bengals-Chiefs game, which adds additional weight to this user’s point.

And of course there was the researched observation: “Hmmmm, maybe Sunday Night Football on NBC?” It was a light-hearted swipe that suggested NBC’s NFL coverage was responsible for calling off the race. They even added a screenshot of the NFL football game being queued for 5:30 p.m., which coincides with race times.