NY Daily News/Price and Raissman:  Fox Picks NASCAR Over Yanks Finish

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Fox spokesman Dan Bell, who said the network had to show the entire NASCAR race, said Fox apologized for the switch, but added it had warned viewers of the Yanks-Red Sox game several times of the upcoming move.

Bell also said when the game resumed at 8:30 p.m., play-by-play man Joe Buck told viewers the game was also being simulcast on FX, giving them plenty of time to switch over before the plug was pulled. Bell said Buck gave the last warning at 8:53 p.m.

Bell said Fox’s MLB contract only calls for a required 4-7 p.m. Eastern time slot.

“We had two great events we thought we would be able to air in their entirety,” Bell said. “It’s not the way we planned this out. We apologize to viewers.”

Bell said Fox did all it could, even asking NASCAR to push the start of the race back from 8:45 p.m. to 8:53 p.m. - which it agreed to - thinking the game would be over by then.

But the two-hour, 10-minute rain delay meant the game - which, according to Bell, was being shown to 97% of the country - didn’t resume until 8:30 p.m., and couldn’t finish before the start of the race.

“We understand if viewers are upset,” Bell said.