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While the Chase remains and the car won’t be overhauled, NASCAR showed that it doesn’t ignore fans, announcing Wednesday that start times for Sprint Cup races will be more consistent and often earlier next year.

Twenty-one of the 36 points races next season are scheduled to start just after 1 p.m. Eastern. Only one Cup race this season is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Other start times next season will be slightly after 3 p.m. for day races in the West and shortly after 7:30 p.m. for night races. The Coca-Cola 600 is the only exception with a start listed at 5:45 p.m.

When the green flag waves to begin the race, though, will be 15 to 20 minutes after the posted start times. That means a 1 p.m. race is likely to begin at 1:15 p.m.

For fans who wonder if they are ignored, this announcement comes in a year when tracks have lowered ticket prices based on fan complaints and fewer attending races. Wednesday, Darlington Raceway became the latest track to announce ticket reductions for next year. Prices on 40,000 seats, more than half the track’s capacity, will be cut for next year’s Southern 500.

Also Wednesday, the NASCAR Hall of Fame announced that the induction ceremony for the inaugural class — to be announced next week — will be May 23, 2010. It will be the day after the All-Star race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

While each of those announcements will impact fans, it is the start times that have been a rallying cry for many, especially those in the East, for many years.

Fans in the Eastern time zone have complained for years about the later afternoon start times, which were intended so races could lead into key evening programming and reach a wider audience in the West.

Later starting times, though, meant a smaller window at tracks with no lights if the race is delayed. It also created problems for networks when races ran long.

With TV ratings declining again, it became evident that the push toward a later start time wasn’t best for NASCAR.

“Research has shown us that our core fans want to begin watching NASCAR a little bit earlier in the afternoon,’’ NASCAR Chairman Brian France said. “Sometimes that’s counterintuitive to traditional programming for sports. But, nonetheless, in looking at the last couple of years we’ve been going later in the broadcast window and we haven’t been as consistent as we can.”

The Daytona 500, which started after 3:30 p.m. this year, will start at about 1:15 p.m. next season.

“The main thing about this sport, it’s 60 years old, but it’s got a tradition like it’s 500 years old and you don’t mess with that,’’ said Fox Chairman David Hill, whose network broadcasts the Daytona 500. “That’s my bad. That’s what we did. If we’re going to be true with the fans we’ve got to start somewhere.”

Hill, though, suspects that the ratings might dip further next year as fans adjust to the time change.

“I think that any time you do something new,’’ he said, predicting that TNT and ESPN/ABC will see higher ratings since they air races later in the season when fans should be used to the time schedule.

“I think what you’re going to see is an increase in figures for the Chase next year because of the consistency of start times,’’ Hill said. NASCAR is counting on that. If not, more changes might need to be made.

Contact Dustin Long at 373-7062 or dustin.long@news-record.com

2010 NASCAR SPRINT CUP SCHEDULE

Listed by date, track, TV and start time:

Feb. 14: Daytona 500 (WGHP-8) — 1 p.m.
Feb. 21: Fontana (WGHP-8) — 3 p.m.
Feb. 28: Las Vegas (WGHP-8) — 3 p.m.

March 7: Atlanta (WGHP-8) — 1 p.m.
March 21: Bristol (WGHP-8) — 1 p.m.
March 28: Martinsville (WGHP-8) — 1 p.m.

April 10: Phoenix (WGHP-8) — 7:30 p.m.
April 18: Texas (WGHP-8) — 1 p.m.
April 25: Talladega (WGHP-8) — 1 p.m.

May 1: Richmond (WGHP-8) — 7:30 p.m.
May 8: Darlington (WGHP-8) — 7:30 p.m.
May 16: Dover (WGHP-8) — 1 p.m.
May 30: Charlotte (WGHP-8) — 5:45 p.m.

June 6: Pocono (TNT) — 1 p.m.
June 13: Michigan (TNT) — 1 p.m.
June 20: Sonoma (TNT) — 3 p.m.
June 27: Loudon (TNT) — 1 p.m.

July 3: Daytona (TNT) — 7:30 p.m.
July 10: Chicago (TNT) — 7:30 p.m.
July 25: Indianapolis (ESPN) — 1 p.m.

Aug. 1: Pocono (ESPN) — 1 p.m.
Aug. 8: Watkins Glen (ESPN) — 1 p.m.
Aug. 15: Michigan (ESPN) — 1 p.m.
Aug. 21: Bristol (ESPN) — 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 5: Atlanta (ESPN) — 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 11: Richmond (WXLV-45) — 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 19: Loudon (WXLV-45) — 1 p.m.
Sept. 26: Dover (WXLV-45) — 1 p.m.

Oct. 3: Kansas (WXLV-45) — 1 p.m.
Oct. 10: Fontana (WXLV-45) — 3 p.m.
Oct. 16: Charlotte (WXLV-45) — 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 24: Martinsville (WXLV-45) — 1 p.m.
Oct. 31: Talladega (WXLV-45) — 1 p.m.

Nov. 7: Texas (WXLV-45) — 1 p.m.
Nov. 14: Phoenix (WXLV-45) — 3 p.m.
Nov. 21: Homestead (WXLV-45) — 1 p.m.