In 1979, when CBS began annual "flag-to-flag" coverage of the Daytona "500" stock car race, every affiliate east of the Mississippi and south of the "Mason-Dixon Line" was blacked-out.
Since most of NASCAR's fans at the time were in this region, they couldn't watch what turned out to be a dramatic finish (and post-race fisticuffs between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison).
You can see the original broadcast of the wild finish at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1b2OYvja_Q .
But still, enough people outside the South watched that it convinced network executives and sponsors alike that stock car racing's appeal didn't stop north of the Mason-Dixon line and west of the Mississippi. It's often credited as a turning point in NASCAR history.
It is my understanding that as years went by, the "blackout radius" was shrunk, and eventually, only viewers in Central Florida couldn't see live TV coverage of "The Great American Race"
But when this year's Daytona "500" starts Sunday (February 24th) at 1 P.M. EST (weather permitting), TV viewers in Daytona Beach will actually be able to see the race live on TV: As is the case with all other Fox affiliates, WOFL-35 will carry the network's coverage live.
And I'm pretty sure WOFL has been able to show the race live for the past several years; I would tend to think they've done so since Fox began broadcasting the race in 2001.
Since most of NASCAR's fans at the time were in this region, they couldn't watch what turned out to be a dramatic finish (and post-race fisticuffs between Cale Yarborough and Donnie Allison).
You can see the original broadcast of the wild finish at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1b2OYvja_Q .
But still, enough people outside the South watched that it convinced network executives and sponsors alike that stock car racing's appeal didn't stop north of the Mason-Dixon line and west of the Mississippi. It's often credited as a turning point in NASCAR history.
It is my understanding that as years went by, the "blackout radius" was shrunk, and eventually, only viewers in Central Florida couldn't see live TV coverage of "The Great American Race"
But when this year's Daytona "500" starts Sunday (February 24th) at 1 P.M. EST (weather permitting), TV viewers in Daytona Beach will actually be able to see the race live on TV: As is the case with all other Fox affiliates, WOFL-35 will carry the network's coverage live.
And I'm pretty sure WOFL has been able to show the race live for the past several years; I would tend to think they've done so since Fox began broadcasting the race in 2001.