To say thereâ€™s a lot of fan angst over NASCAR and its future television plans would be an understatement.

What happened this past weekend at Talladega should give fans hope that NASCAR will be considered a worthwhile partner for years to come.

NASCAR has signed one contract for 2015-2022, for the first 13 Cup races, with Fox Sports, which includes the new Fox Sports 1 that replaces Speed in August.

Fans are worried that without Speed, whether they will get all the qualifying and practice sessions they have seen in the past. They worry that the occasional practice or qualifying session not aired will become more a constant occurrence. They worry that Fox doesnâ€™t consider racing important by getting rid of its racing-oriented channel.

Fox made a big decision Sunday that shows what it thinks of NASCAR. Fox could have moved the Cup race to Speed or another one of its networks after the rain delay of 3 hours, 36 minutes.

Race recap: Ragan surprise winner | Results | Cup standings | Winners & losers

But Fox Sports opted to go to the end on network television, and it had to get the OK from its entertainment department to keep it on past 7 p.m. Eastern.

NASCAR got the race done shortly after 8 p.m. ET, so the Simpsons still aired close to on time. It was about too dark to race anyway (the night before, NASCAR went to about 8:35 p.m. but the cloud cover didnâ€™t make it as dark).

Fox considered it a priority to get NASCAR as one of its anchor sports for its all-sports Fox Sports 1 network, so it already signed a deal for 2015-2022 (at a 36 percent rate increase). While the sport might have lost some of its buzz, Fox Sports recognized the loyalty of NASCAR fans to watch its programming. It will eventually put some Cup races on that cable network to boost its profile.

The big question now turns to who will televise the remaining 23 races of the season. Right now, TNT has six and ESPN/ABC has 17.

NBC is expected to make a run at NASCAR. It could replace TNT for those six races but thereâ€™s also speculation it could take 12 or 13 races and ESPN/ABC gets the final 10 or 11 events.

With Turner relinquishing NASCAR.com to NASCAR, it makes little sense for it to have the six races. Itâ€™s not enough time to really get in a good flow. The TNT telecasts arenâ€™t bad at all, but itâ€™s just too short of a bridge from Fox to ESPN for any continuity or for the announcers to get into a groove.

If NBC lands races, that would put more Cup events on network television, which is important considering the addition of cable races to the Fox portion of the schedule.

More from Talladega:

â€” Pockrass: Front Row, Ragan believed they could win

â€” Danica lucky once, but luck runs out late

If the season is split into three different television entities, that increases the number of corporate partners. It also should increase exposure on those partnersâ€™ other media platforms.

NASCAR needs to have a presence on ESPN for the ultra-sports fan because it gives NASCAR a better chance to be on SportsCenter and other sports specials. Having a relationship with NBC would be big considering the opportunity for more exposure on CNBC and other networks.

One other important part of the TV negotiations revolves around the Nationwide Series. It would be surprising if ESPN/ABC continues with the full season. The production costs are so great on the weekends where they donâ€™t have the Cup race.

It would be nice if whoever has the Cup race also has the Nationwide event, whether it goes on the network channel or one of its cable networks.

It adds continuity to the weekend broadcasts, invests more networks in the Nationwide Series and makes financial sense. As a side bonus, it also frees up a bunch of hotel rooms in the areas near the track because only one network needs to bring a full telecast crew.

NASCAR should have its 2015-2022 television lineup done by the end of this year. It will set the future.

Itâ€™s not something to be taken lightly. NASCAR was panned when it made its most recent contract in 2005 for 2007-2014 as being a little low on dollars and for too long.

When the recession hit, that contract saved the racetracks, which now take in more money from the television contract than they do for all tickets sold. As publicly traded companies, the racetracks needed that steady revenue stream that couldnâ€™t be impacted by the economy.

Thatâ€™s why these contract negotiations are important beyond the biggest reasonâ€”itâ€™s how most of the fans get their NASCAR fix.

Itâ€™s an important decision. The more involved, the better. Letâ€™s hope that NASCAR gets the benefits of Fox, NBC and ESPN when the deal is finally done.