Daytona NBC affiliate chooses to air Brady, Bucs over NASCAR race at iconic track
Tom Brady obviously has a lot of pull, but this may take it to a new level.
WESH, the Central Florida NBC station with long ties to Daytona Beach, will bump Saturday night’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona to an affiliate (CW 18, WKCF) and instead broadcast the Tampa Bay Buccaneers preseason NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts.
On the surface, it looks like a real punch to the gut of NASCAR.
WESH's Channel 2 is a hometown NBC affiliate deciding against broadcasting the final race of the Cup Series’ regular season, the Coke Zero Sugar 400, which will finalize the 16-driver playoff lineup for the final 10 weeks of the season.
On the other hand, it’s Tom Brady, widely considered the greatest quarterback of all time. Also, Brady is returning from an excused absence from Bucs camp and is expected to make his only preseason appearance Saturday night.
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From navigating his exit from New England and eventual landing in Tampa, to the 2021 Super Bowl victory, to retirement earlier this year followed by a change of heart.
Toss in the recent talk of how the Miami Dolphins, as long as three years ago, were hoping to bring in Brady as a quarterback and/or partner in team ownership or management.
That’s leverage, which he’s now used — however inadvertently — to pry a major NASCAR event away from NASCAR’s hometown affiliate.
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NASCAR released information Friday afternoon on other NBC affiliate markets going with their local NFL ties and moving the Daytona race to "sister" stations:
Important #NASCAR race viewing information for Saturday night at Daytona with NFL coverage also taking place pic.twitter.com/Uvlrdg5b3A
— Kelly Crandall (@KellyCrandall) August 24, 2022
Baltimore: Commanders at Ravens.
Harrisburg, Pa.: Commanders at Ravens.
Phoenix: Cardinals at Titans.
Tampa Bay: Bucs at Colts.
The following markets will join the race in progress following the conclusion of NFL preseason games:
Philadelphia: Joined in Progress after Eagles-Dolphins.
Washington DC: Joined in Progress after Commanders-Ravens.
Along with the network and affiliates, the race will be available on NBC's streaming network (Peacock) as well as the NBC Sports App.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona TV station chooses Buccaneers, Tom Brady over NASCAR race
