For those of you NASCAR fans that like stats and love to hate commercials, here is the breakdown from the races on Saturday evening. This breakdown is thoroughly unprofessional, and, hopefully, easy-to-understand.

I began recording the times at the Invocation for the Nextel Open at 7:24 PM, and stopped at the waving of the checkered flag for the Nextel Cup Challenge at 11:01 PM (all times are EST). I did not keep records for the pre- and post-race coverage.

Please note that in addition to all of the following, there is always a company logo visible in the upper right hand corner by the race ticker scrolling across the screen.

Also, below the commercial breakdown, be sure to check out how often drivers were focused on during the race.

There are plans in the future for more stats from the race. Once we reach September, when we began doing these breakdowns last year, we will be able to make side-by-side comparisons.

Race and Commercial Breakdown of the Nextel Open and Nextel Challenge 05-19-2007

Total number of commercials: 117

Total number of companies or entities advertised: 63

Total number of brief promos of products/services during the race broadcast: 20

Total number of companies or entities advertised in brief promos or crawlers: 15 (companies: Nextel, Chevy, Home Depot, Garmin, Famous Dave’s, True Value, Fram, Castrol GTX, Valvoline, Advance Auto, GoRving.com, Toyota, Lowes, AutismSpeaks.org, ‘Payback’ on Speed)

Total amount of time these brief promos take during broadcast: app. 1 min. 55 sec.

Also, there are the following race statistics during the broadcast, sponsored by companies:

Toyota presents ‘Race Format’
Nextel ‘Starting Grid’
Chevy ‘Race Format’

Start time to record race/commercial periods 05/05/07: 7:24 PM
End time to record race/commercial periods 05/05/07: 11:01 PM

Total minutes: 217

Minutes of race broadcast: 165
Minutes of commercials: 52

Breakdown of what the commercials were for, by category:

FX Previews/Promos

‘Rescue Me’ – 1

Total: 1

SPEED Previews/Promos

Speed channel – 9
‘Fine Tuned’ – 3
Speed Store – 3

NASCAR on Speed – 2
‘Launch Hour’ – 2
SpeedTV.com – 2
‘Unique Whips’ – 2
‘Payback’ – 2
All Star Challenge – 1
F1 on Speed – 1
‘Set Up’ – 1
‘Wind Tunnel’ – 1

Total: 29

Restaurants/Food

Pizza Hut – 3
KFC – 2
Famous Dave’s (contest to meet Jeff Gordon) – 2
Burger King & Spiderman 3 movie – 1
mycokerewards.com – 1

Total: 9

Beer

Budweiser – 1

Total: 1

Car/Truck/Bike

Polaris ATV (Dale Earnhardt Jr.)- 5
Chevrolet – 3
Jiffy Lube / Pennzoil – 3
Garmin – 3
GoodYear – 2
Havoline – 2
Toyota (Todd Bodine) – 2
Dodge – 2
Fram – 2
Advance Auto Parts – 2
Q Torque Motor Oil – 1
Chevrolet (Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart) – 1
Yamaha – 1
Kawasaki – 1
Castrol GTX – 1
Valvoline – 1
B.F. Goodrich – 1
Meguiars.com – 1
Dub magazine – 1
CarCrazyCentral.com – 1
Motorsports-Authentics.com – 1
Click it or Ticket campaign – 1
GoRving.com – 1

Total: 39

Insurance

AIG – 3
Progressive – 2
Progressive Insurance for motorcycles – 2

Total: 7

Wireless Phone

Nextel – 6

Total: 6

Home Improvement

Home Depot (Tony Stewart) – 4
Kobalt Tools at Lowes (Jimmie Johnson, Chad Knaus) – 2
Lowes – 2
John Deere – 1
True Value – 1

Total: 10

Technology

DirecTV – 1

Total: 1

Travel

Days Inn – 2

Total: 2

Products/Services for the Home and Personal Use

Wrangler jeans – 2
Target (Reed Sorenson) – 1
Viagra – 1

Total: 4

Racing Related

Lowes Motor Speedway – 3
nascar.com – 1
nascar.com Track Pass Race View – 1
nascar.com/foundation celebrates ‘NASCAR Day’ on May 18 – 1
All American Soap Box Derby – 1
Infineon Raceway – 1

Total: 8

Breakdown of specific times, broken into two categories (race broadcast times, and commercial broadcast times)

Race brdcast times: Total min: Comm. brdcast times: Total min:

7:24 PM – 7:27 PM – 3 // 7:27 PM – 7:30 PM – 3

7:30 PM – 7:33 PM – 3 // 7:33 PM – 7:35 PM – 2

7:35 PM – 7:45 PM – 10 // 7:45 PM – 7:47 PM – 2

7:47 PM – 7:55 PM – 8 // 7:55 PM – 7:58 PM – 3

7:58 PM – 8:03 PM – 5 // 8:03 PM – 8:06 PM – 3

8:06 PM – 8:08 PM – 2 // 8:08 PM – 8:11 PM – 3

8:11 PM – 8:29 PM – 18 // 8:29 PM – 8:31 PM – 2

8:31 PM – 8:34 PM – 3 // 8:34 PM – 8:37 PM – 3

8:37 PM – 8:39 PM – 2 // 8:39 PM – 8:42 PM – 3

8:42 PM – 8:57 PM – 15 // 8:57 PM – 9:00 PM – 3

9:00 PM – 9:01 PM – 1 // 9:01 PM – 9:04 PM – 3

9:04 PM – 9:12 PM – 8 // 9:12 PM – 9:15 PM – 3

9:15 PM – 9:19 PM – 4 // 9:19 PM – 9:22 PM – 3

9:22 PM – 9:35 PM – 13 // 9:35 PM – 9:37 PM – 2

9:37 PM – 9:40 PM – 3 // 9:40 PM – 9:43 PM – 3

9:43 PM – 9:54 PM – 11 // 9:54 PM – 9:57 PM – 3

9:57 PM – 10:07 PM – 10 // 10:07 PM – 10:09 PM – 2

10:09 PM – 10:16 PM – 7 // 10:16 PM – 10:18 PM – 2

10:18 PM – 10:32 PM – 14 // 10:32 PM – 10:34 PM – 2

10:34 PM – 10:48 PM – 14 // 10:48 PM – 10:50 PM – 2

10:50 PM – 11:01 PM – 11 // 11:01 PM – checkered flag flies

Total race brdcst time: 165 Total comm. brdcst time: 52

How often were different drivers focused on during the Nextel Open and Nextel Challenge?

7:30 PM – 7:33 PM
Featured drivers: Juan Montoya; Carl Edwards; Elliott Sadler; Jamie McMurray; Dave Gilliland; Clint Bowyer

7:35 PM – 7:45 PM
Featured drivers: David Ragan; Michael Waltrip; Juan Montoya

7:47 PM – 7:55 PM
Featured drivers: Paul Menard; Juan Montoya; Kyle Petty; Paul Menard; Michael Waltrip; Scott Riggs; Carl Edwards, Dave Blaney, David Ragan; Sterling Marlin; Mike Bliss & Boris Said

7:58 PM – 8:03 PM
Featured drivers: Kenny Wallace; Carl Edwards; Mike Bliss

8:06 PM – 8:08 PM
Featured drivers: Carl Edwards; David Ragan; Ward Burton, David Stremme, Michael Waltrip, Jeff Green, Kyle Petty, Elliott Sadler & Kenny Wallace (pit stops); Carl Edwards (pit stop)

8:11 PM – 8:29 PM
Featured drivers: Carl Edwards; Jeff Green (penalty); Carl Edwards; David Ragan; Martin Truex Jr.; David Ragan; Reed Sorenson; Martin Truex Jr.; Carl Edwards; Martin Truex Jr. & Dave Blaney; Dave Blaney; Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr. & Dave Blaney; David Reutimann; Tony Raines; Johnny Sauter; Ricky Rudd; Martin Truex Jr.; Jamie McMurray & Sterling Marlin; A.J. Allmendinger & Jeff Green; David Stremme & J.J. Yeley; Johnny Sauter & Dave Blaney; Bootie Barker (crew chief); Kyle Petty & A.J. Allmendinger; Martin Truex Jr.; Johnny Sauter; Johnny Sauter & Martin Truex Jr.; Carl Edwards, Martin Truex Jr. & Johnny Sauter; Martin Truex Jr. (winner) and Johnny Sauter

8:31 PM – 8:34 PM
Featured drivers: Martin Truex Jr. (victory lane); Johnny Sauter

8:42 PM – 8:57 PM
Featured drivers: Driver introductions for Nextel Challenge, + Kenny Wallace (fan vote)

9:00 PM – 9:01 PM
Featured drivers: Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Matt Kenseth

9:04 PM – 9:12 PM
Featured drivers: Jimmie Johnson; Mark Martin; Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Tony Stewart; Denny Hamlin; Bootie Barker (crew chief); Jeff Burton; Matt Kenseth; Kenny Wallace; Ryan Newman; Jeff Gordon; Jimmie Johnson; Kyle Busch; Dave Gilliland; Jimmie Johnson; Kyle Busch; Kenny Wallace; Jeff Gordon

9:15 PM – 9:19 PM
Featured drivers: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

9:22 PM – 9:35 PM
Featured drivers: Carl Edwards; Jimmie Johnson; Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Jeff Burton; Denny Hamlin & Kurt Busch; Matt Kenseth; Ryan Newman & Kyle Busch; Johnny Sauter & Brian Vickers; Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Kurt Busch; Jeff Gordon & Kevin Harvick; Ryan Newman & Kurt Busch; Denny Hamlin & Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Kurt Busch & Ryan Newman; Kyle Busch; Jeff Gordon; Johnny Sauter & Kurt Busch; Johnny Sauter & Martin Truex Jr.; Kasey Kahne & Denny Hamlin; Matt Kenseth; Jimmie Johnson & Jeff Gordon; Matt Kenseth

9:37 PM – 9:40 PM
Featured drivers: Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon & Matt Kenseth; Dale Earnhardt Jr. (penalty)

9:43 PM – 9:54 PM
Featured drivers: Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin & Jeff Burton; Kyle Busch; Jeff Gordon & Jeff Burton; Jeff Burton; Matt Kenseth & Kevin Harvick; Johnny Sauter; Martin Truex Jr & Ryan Newman; Kyle Busch; Matt Kenseth & Jeff Gordon; Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Kyle Busch; Matt Kenseth; Jimmie Johnson & Kurt Busch; Denny Hamlin & Bobby Labonte; Tony Stewart; Johnny Sauter; Jimmie Johnson; Jeff Gordon; Brian Vickers; Kyle Busch; Denny Hamlin & Kasey Kahne; Kyle Busch

9:57 PM – 10:07 PM
Featured drivers: Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Brian Vickers (pit stops); Johnny Sauter (pit stop); Matt Kenseth (pit stop); Dale Earnhardt Jr. (pit stop); Kyle Busch; Jeff Gordon; Jimmie Johnson; Mark Martin; Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Jeff Burton

10:09 PM – 10:16 PM
Featured drivers: Jeff Gordon; Jeff Gordon & Matt Kenseth; Bobby Labonte; Jeff Burton & Jeff Gordon

10:18 PM – 10:32 PM
Featured drivers: Kyle Busch; Matt Kenseth; Jeff Burton & Kyle Busch; Matt Kenseth; Johnny Sauter & Mark Martin; Jimmie Johnson & Kurt Busch; Tony Stewart; Matt Kenseth; Jeff Gordon; Kevin Harvick; Matt Kenseth; Jimmie Johnson; Ryan Newman; Greg Biffle; Matt Kenseth; Jeff Gordon; Kyle Busch; Johnny Sauter, Jeff Burton, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Brian Vickers, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett, Greg Biffle, Kenny Wallace (pit stops); Matt Kenseth (penalty); Casey Mears (penalty)

10:34 PM – 10:48 PM
Featured drivers: Matt Kenseth; Kyle Busch; Kevin Harvick & Jeff Burton; Jeff Burton & Kurt Busch; Kurt Busch & Kyle Busch (wreck each other); Kurt Busch; Kevin Harvick & Jeff Burton; Jeff Gordon; Casey Mears & Denny Hamlin; Jeff Gordon; Kenny Wallace; Alan Gustafson (crew chief)

10:50 PM – 11:01 PM
Featured drivers: Jeff Gordon; Denny Hamlin; Kevin Harvick; Jeff Burton; Jimmie Johnson & Mark Martin; Matt Kenseth & Dale Earnhardt Jr.; Jimmie Johnson & Jeff Burton; Chad Knaus (crew chief); Kevin Harvick & Jimmie Johnson; Chad Knaus & Todd Berrier (crew chiefs); Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson & Mark Martin; Kevin Harvick (winner)

Randomly chosen drivers, and number of times they were focused on:

Brian Vickers – 4
Mark Martin – 8
Kevin Harvick (Challenge winner) – 11
Martin Truex Jr. (Open winner) – 12
Jeff Burton – 14
Johnny Sauter – 15
Dale Earnhardt Jr. – 15
Jimmie Johnson – 17
Jeff Gordon – 19
Matt Kenseth – 22