NASCAR issues statement after technical issues interrupt radio and TV broadcast at Enjoy Illinois 300

NASCAR‘s visit to St. Louis this weekend didn’t come without a few hiccups. As if a fireworks delay and a red flag due to lightning weren’t enough to irritate fans for a second-straight weekend, the broadcast of the Enjoy Illinois 300 went out.

In the middle of Stage 2 of Sunday’s race, the FS1 broadcast cut out, leaving fans frustrated. Following the conclusion of the Enjoy Illinois 300 from World Wide Technology Raceway, NASCAR released a statement.

“During today’s NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway, there was an off-site fiber connectivity failure that briefly interrupted the television and radio broadcasts, as well as impacting internet for teams on pit road,” the statement said. “There was not a failure with any track or NASCAR equipment at the facility during today’s event.”

NASCAR Statement:

During today’s NASCAR Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway, there was an off-site fiber connectivity failure that briefly interrupted the television and radio broadcasts, as well as impacting internet for teams on pit road. There was not a failure…

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 5, 2023

The broadcast didn’t go out long before everything was fixed and viewers were able to return to the race. Still, seeing coverage go out on Sunday didn’t leave many fans thrilled.

It was especially frustrating considering the race went through an hour-and-a-half delay because of weather. NASCAR waved the red flag just six laps into the Enjoy Illinois 300 — marking the second-straight week in which the Cup Series has been delayed because of weather.

Hopefully, NASCAR fans catch some breaks next week with weather and broadcast coverage.

Technical issues hinder Enjoy Illinois 300

So, World Wide Technology Raceway didn’t exactly live up to its name. The track experienced several problems throughout the running of the Cup Series race on Sunday.

In addition to broadcast issues, pit teams didn’t have access to SMT telemetry data. The crucial technology helps teams gauge fuel use, timing, scoring and other analytics. So, teams had to revert to old-school methods for Sunday’s race.

Over the past two weeks, NASCAR drivers and their crews have had to be prepared for everything.

Although delays and technical difficulties seemed to highlight the race, there was actually a winner on Sunday. Kyle Busch drove his car to Victory Lane for the third time this season. He becomes the second driver to hit the three-win mark in 2023, along with William Byron.

Busch’s other two wins came at Fontana and Talladega.

Busch started Sunday’s Enjoy Illinois 300 on the pole and led 121 of 243 laps — which included overtime. The victory marked the 63rd time he’s taken home the checkered flag in his career as a NASCAR Cup Series driver.