Watching races late into a Sunday night and then getting up early for work on Monday isn’t what hardworking NASCAR fans look forward to. And after last month’s Cup Series race in Atlanta ended at 3 a.m. following weather delays, many, including Chase Elliott, voiced that very concern, calling for NASCAR to shift races to Saturday night.

“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,” Elliott, voted NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver eight times, said during a press conference in North Wilkesboro on July 17. Unfortunately, based on what the sanctioning body’s CEO stated recently, it doesn’t appear that any changes are on the horizon.

Steve O’Donnell believes Sundays remain the sport’s best long-term home despite the obvious benefits of racing a day earlier.

“We do some Saturdays, but you know at the end of the day you got to grow your ratings, right? And so Sundays are where it happens… Sunday is where the most eyeballs are on the sport,” he said on Racin’ With The Boys podcast.

NASCAR mostly cares about the finances, and that’s no secret. The largest source of income for the sport is television. They didn’t sign a $7.7 billion broadcast deal last year for nothing. And the figures have shown them that the biggest audiences have always been found on Sunday afternoons. Weekend sports programming is the focal point of broadcasters’ schedules.

From O’Donnell’s point of view, NASCAR has a tested television window that has consistently generated strong ratings for decades. A time slot that has historically drawn the greatest number of viewers would be lost if a sizable chunk of the schedule were moved to Saturdays.

Despite the present viewership stagnation, this remains a tested television window that has consistently generated strong ratings for decades. The 2006 Daytona 500, held on a Sunday, had 37 million people tune in. More recently, the inaugural Chicago Street Race in 2023, also held on a Sunday, drew almost five million viewers, making it the highest-rated non-Daytona broadcast since 2017.

Overall, in the mid-2000s, despite having races on Sundays, NASCAR regularly drew between 7 and 10 million viewers. A time slot that has historically attracted the largest audiences would be lost if a sizable chunk of the schedule were moved to Saturdays.

That said, the 2026 season has also highlighted the downside of Sunday racing.

Cup races have been disrupted by weather, with lengthy rain delays pushing finishes late into Sunday evening. At Nashville, the race, which was scheduled to begin at 7:20 p.m., ultimately took the green flag an hour later. Those situations create headaches not only for television viewers but also for the thousands of fans who travel to races.

Because America’s blue-collar workers have traditionally been NASCAR’s main audience, the impact is particularly noteworthy. Races that extend into Monday are much more than just a hassle for spectators who work early shifts on Monday. Many simply cannot stay awake to watch the finish or afford to take extra time off after attending a race in person.

There was a time when Saturday racing was common in NASCAR. During the 1950s, 60s, and even 70s, Grand National Series races were frequently held on Saturdays.

The schedule gradually shifted toward Sundays as television became increasingly central to the sport’s business model.

That doesn’t mean NASCAR has completely closed the door on experimenting. O’Donnell acknowledged there could still be room for innovation.

“But I think in the future, you know, as we look at when we race, where we race, could we do a midweek race here or there as well? So, there might be some opportunities to do that.”

While Sundays remain NASCAR’s preferred option today, the conversation about when races should be run is clearly far from over.