ABC turns race over to ESPN2
Los Angeles Business from bizjournals
In what is being termed in media reports as a revisiting of football's "Heidi game," ABC moved the end of Sunday's Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 NASCAR race at Phoenix International Raceway from ABC to ESPN2 in some time zones.
The move was made, according to media reports, to align ABC's television lineup. With 34 laps to go in the race, which is part of NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup, the race switched networks in the eastern and central time zones.
In its place, ABC showed "America's Funniest Home Videos." According to media reports, the decision was made after a pair of red flag periods delayed the race by about 45 minutes.
The moment is remisicent of a 1968 American Football League game between the New York Jets and Oakland Raiders. The Jets were leading the game 32-29 with 1:05 left in the game, when NBC switched to a pre-scheduled showing of the movie "Heidi."
Oakland scored 14 points in that final 65 seconds to win 43-32.
There was not quite the level of drama in Sunday's race, as Jimmie Johnson the race, all but wrapping up his third-straight Sprint Cup title.
ABC and ESPN are owned by the Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS).
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