Hauler Talk: How Prime Video, NASCAR agreed to move start time of Pocono race

The pressure was on to reach the West Coast when the green flag for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway was moved two hours ahead to 1 p.m. ET. On the latest episode of the "Hauler Talk" podcast, Mike Forde, NASCAR vice president of racing communications, said the call was made Saturday morning to start earlier because of a significant chance of rain at 5 p.m. ET. RELATED: Pocono results | Naval Base Coronado weekend schedule "With a 3 p.m. start time, you're looking at maybe getting through Stage 2," Forde said. "The average time of the race is about three hours, so if we moved it up only an hour, we're probably not going to get in all 160 laps." The race finished before a torrential downpour with lightning later that afternoon. Because of the logistics to move the broadcast compound and other setup equipment to Naval Base Coronado, Forde said the contingency plan was 8 a.m. ET start if the Pocono race had been postponed to Monday. "We really, really needed to get that race in on Sunday," Forde said. "There were a lot of things working against us if we had a rain situation. So I think everyone was pretty eager and had a lot of angst to get that race going by any means possible, and everyone worked together. "I want to give a shoutout to Nick Igdalsky and Ben May, the CEO and president of Pocono Raceway. They probably had the most to lose by moving that race up. They had a sold-out crowd, a sold-out infield, and throwing that curveball to fans with a little more than 24 hours' notice was a big ask, and they really were great partners. So everything worked out beautifully." The decision was also made easier because the broadcast was on a streaming platform that wasn't beholden to the demands of juggling a network schedule. "It is a pretty simple yes," Forde said. "But the later you go, and the closer into primetime you go, the better for ratings. And so they were cognizant that moving two hours earlier was going to probably hurt their ratings, but I think they realized what we're up against, too. So I think Prime looked at the big picture there and were, as usual, great partners and agreed to the move up."

Other topics covered by Forde and senior director of racing communications Amanda Ellis during the 58th episode of "Hauler Talk," which explores competition issues in NASCAR:

-- The process that allowed Kyle Larson to slide back to the last attempt in the qualifying order at Pocono. -- Why NASCAR took six cars after the race for wind tunnel testing. -- A streak of four consecutive sellouts for Cup Series races. -- Nuggets about the construction and ground rules for the Qualcomm Circuit at Naval Base Coronado. Click on the embed below to listen or search for "Hauler Talk" wherever you download podcasts to hear it on your phone, tablet or mobile device. Nate Ryan has written about NASCAR since 1996 while working at the San Bernardino Sun, Richmond Times-Dispatch, USA Today Co. and, for the past 10 years, at NBC Sports Digital. He is a contributor to the "Hauler Talk" show on the NASCAR Podcast Network. He has also covered various other motorsports, including the IndyCar and IMSA series.