NASCAR
Commercial Tracker: 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Spring Race at Talladega
![NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 starts](https://sports7.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Talladega-2023.jpeg)
Each week we are tracking the number of commercials shown during each NASCAR Cup Series race broadcast, breaking it down by total number of commercial breaks, including side-by-sides, total commercials, total amount of time spent in a commercial break, and total green-flag laps missed by the television viewing audience.
The Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway begins and so does bombardment of commercials
![NASCAR Cup Series GEICO 500 starts](https://sports7.us/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Talladega-2023.jpeg?w=1024&h=682&strip=all&quality=89)
The Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway began with the waving of the green flag at 3:23 ET and fans were introduced to their first commercial break on Lap 2, with a caution for Michael McDowell. That first set of commercials included five ads that lasted for 2:15. And Fox was just getting started.
Just 10 laps later fans were treated to the second break and first during green-flag racing. The seven-commercial break ran for 2:35 and fans missed a total of four green-flag laps around the 2.66-mile track.
The next break arrived 11 laps later and included another round of seven spots, which ran for 3:00. Fans missed an additional three laps of green-flag action.
Fox aired nine commercial breaks (one side-by-side) during Stage 1, including two at the stage break, and it featured a staggering 65 commercials that lasted for 22 minutes. This was a classic case of front-loading commercials, and it was hard for fans watching at home to get in any flow early in the race.
Stage 2 has normal number of spots
The second stage returned to normal commercial levels, with the first break coming on Lap 73, and it included seven ads that ran for 2:30. Fans missed four laps of green-flag racing.
Fox aired its second green-flag break of the stage a dozen laps later, and fans missed an additional three laps while watching seven more commercials that ran for 2:55.
Like Stage 1, the second stage included a single side-by-side break out of the six total and included 39 commercials that lasted for 16:25.
Final stage includes interrupted commercial
Following a pattern, Fox started the final stage with its fifth and final green-flag break, where fans missed four laps while watching six commercials that ran for 2:30.
Viewers at home didn't miss any more action the rest of the race as the remaining breaks were either side-by-side (two) or came during a caution.
In total, fans saw seven breaks, including an abbreviated one at the end where the network cut short a commercial to return to the race. The final stage included a total of 38 commercials that lasted for 14:55.
Final numbers
Total Time of Race (Green to Checkered) | 3 Hours 32 Minutes |
Total Commercial Breaks (Side-By-Sides) | 22 (4) |
Total Commercials | 142 |
Total Time of Commercials | 53:20 (25.16% of race broadcast) |
Total Laps Missed by Viewing Audience | 18 green-flag laps |
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