William Byron suggests NFL-esque Flex Scheduling for future NASCAR races under threat of weather washouts

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season kicked off with the Clash at The Coliseum being preponed to Saturday and Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron has weighed in on how the organization can avoid such a situation in the future.

The third run of the Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum saw the surrounding area receive inclement weather threats on Sunday.

NASCAR decided to prepone the event and refund Sunday's tickets to salvage the TV ratings from a Saturday slot reserved for the heat races, instead of waiting indefinitely for the weather to clear out.

While drivers were of the consensus that the governing body made an impressive decision in the nick of time, William Byron seems to have a better idea. The #24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 driver has suggested the officials implement something similar to the NFL's Flex Scheduling system. He told Kyle Dalton from Heavy.com

"We’ve all been through the events where we stay till Wednesday. And, it’s not fun for anyone, but I don’t think it’s productive either, for ratings and the excitement on-track and the buildup to it."

He added:

"I hope we can get in a system of maybe having a chance to flex during the week, kind of like the NFL does because I feel like if we’re able to flex the race forward, sooner, we could get some people, tuned in, but I think it’ll be better than waiting out a rain delay for sure.”

The Flex Scheduling system is a way the NFL switches up games during certain windows during the season, allowing team matchups that would otherwise not draw as much attention from the fans.

This can happen over three days of the week which are Sunday, Monday, and Thursday, with games scheduled on these days eligible for switch-up if the governing body deems it necessary.

The NFL consults broadcast networks before this switch-up and also informs fans 28 days in advance.

How did William Byron perform at 2024 NASCAR Busch Light Clash?

William Byron's first outing of the season on track saw the six-time race winner and championship contender from last year finish the exhibition-style event in P10. With a decent result under his belt going into the regular points-paying season, William Byron will be looking to build on what was deemed a breakthrough year for the driver last season.

The regular season will kick off at the upcoming Daytona 500, which goes live on Sunday, February 18 at 2:30 pm ET.