In 2007 , the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series ' Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana , California was held on the same day as the 79th Academy Awards , although it was held during the early afternoon with a 1:00 p.m. PT ( 4:00 p.m. ET ) start . The 2008 Auto Club 500 was plagued by rain delays and unintentionally aired against a portion of the 80th Academy Awards ; its start time was pushed back to around 3:00 p.m. PT ( 6:00 p.m. ET ) , while the race itself was halted again at around 6:00 p.m. PT ( 9:00 p.m. ET ) . In 2009 , the race was intentionally scheduled with a 3:00 p.m. PT start , which would overlap into the telecast of the 81st Academy Awards . Fox Sports ' senior vice president of programming and research Bill Wanger supported the idea , believing that NASCAR races " could hold their own against any competition " , arguing that the Oscars and the race appealed primarily to female and male audiences respectively . For the 2010 season , the race was moved to a 12:00 p.m. PT ( 3:00 p.m. ET ) start due to standardized start times for all races introduced that season
80th Academy Awards
80th Academy Awards
Counterprogramming