Denny Hamlin might be getting criticized for his take on NASCAR’s HoF process, but to balance it, he’s gained some support from Dale Earnhardt Jr. The latter backed his take on NASCAR’s stage cautions running too long, thanks to FOX Sports’ broadcasting. This has been a long concern for fans, and while Hamlin had a sketchy solution to it, Junior had a more interesting claim.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. claims stage cautions disrupt the remaining stages

“He’s right. It’s also chewing into the next stage and shortening up those parts of the race: taking product off the shelf,” Earnhardt Jr. wrote on social media, agreeing with Denny Hamlin’s claim of the cautions running too long. He argued on his Actions Detrimental podcast that the long laps under yellow before the pit road opens can sometimes be too boring for the fans.

Currently, the moment a stage ends, FOX Sports switches to the commercials, which can go on for over 10 minutes. Now, while the drivers are bunching up on the field and preparing to pit, it can sometimes be a bit too long for the fans, and understandably so. Hamlin argued that they might begin to lose interest in the race itself because of this.

“I’m telling you, a 15-minute caution can really drag down your feeling, and next thing you know now I’ve switched over to basketball and now it’s a close game, and I don’t want to change from this, this is great. I flip back real quick. Still under yellow. Let me go back to the game. And then I just find myself getting caught in the game,” he explained, to which Dale Earnhardt Jr. agreed.

While this does make sense, there is still something that needs to be done. Those commercials are like the backbone of NASCAR’s revenue, considering how much the sport generates through the broadcasts. And so, Hamlin has an interesting suggestion: “I think you take a little green away.”

While this does seem to make sense, there is another major issue that comes with it. Throughout the years, fans have pointed fingers at FOX Sports, currently worth $23.86 billion, because their broadcasts have too many commercials. It not only hampers the overall viewing experience but also makes the races a little less interesting. So, overall, this seems to be an interesting crossroads that NASCAR has arrived at.

Why is it difficult for NASCAR to keep everyone happy?

With the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr. pointing out the issue with the long stage cautions, it is quite apparent that it is something that is bothering many people, especially the fans. But what can be done to avoid this? As Denny Hamlin mentioned, it is a little difficult to come to a solution, because there have been many variants, tried and tested, which do not sit well with the fans.

If the fans want shorter stage cautions, sure, NASCAR can do that. But then they will have to run the commercials when the race is under green. And as it has been the case previously, not many were happy with this. When FOX ran side-by-side commercials during the green flag earlier last month, many pointed out that this was only giving way for more commercial breaks during the races.

So, instead of not showing commercials under green and shortening the stage cautions, can NASCAR put on the commercials during the pit stops? That would understandably be a big no from spectators, as those stops can sometimes determine the race winners.

But again, the question has to be asked: Why are the commercials necessary? Well, the answer isn’t very simple, yet it is easy to understand. NASCAR doesn’t run on generational wealth. These commercials are essential to the sport’s business model as they fund the massive TV rights deals paid by the broadcasters. This, in turn, provides a major share of revenue to the teams, tracks, and the sanctioning bodies. The sport currently has a $7.7 billion media rights deal signed.

After all, the year-long antitrust lawsuit that ran between NASCAR and the teams was also regarding the media rights deal. These commercials, which can appear to be so irritating to the fans, are somehow the backbone of the sport’s revenue model. And so, even though both Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin agree with the long stage cautions, the commercials have to be put somewhere.