NASCAR races aren’t going to be ­interrupted by commercials anymore!

Call in the marching band, and where are the balloons and ­confetti? Who’s bringing the keg?

Isn’t that the way we are supposed to be responding to the announcement that NASCAR’s TV partners are now going to do the whole split screen thing for commercial breaks? Fox surprised race fans with it last week in the late running at Dover.

Prior to Fox’s use of split screen, only TNT had used the feature ­during last July’s race at Daytona.

Now ESPN will use it during the second half of its broadcasts of the 10 races in the Chase. The format will show the advertisement on the left side and racing on the right side of the screen.

NASCAR says the move is in ­reaction to fan feedback about commercials — a point that NASCAR has been quick to point out.

Don’t hurt yourself patting ­yourself on the back there, boys, about what you did for the fans, because honestly, you did this for the sponsors.

While this may seem counterintuitive, I need you to follow me here. Apparently the boys at ESPN are wising up to how people watch races. Or at least how I do.

As it stands right now, I don’t. That’s the beauty of my digital video recorder (DVR). This is where the column turns into a commercial for my cable ­company. I just start a little late, fast ­forward past all the commercials and the money you’ve spent on commercial time is totally lost on me.

So by pulling a split screen for the second half of the race, I am no longer flying through the commercials. I will be getting inundated with the Budweiser and Home Depot and Mountain Dew and that damn duck.

And isn’t that why they are ponying up the big bucks? I’ll be interested to see if they show David Ragan’s car during the UPS spot or Matt Kenseth’s car while the other side is showing whatever he is hawking this week.

That would be some serious sponsorship activation there. And isn’t that what it’s all about, putting product in front of the eyes of the customer? That’s why all these companies dump millions of dollars into NASCAR, its teams and its TV partners. And the split screen is a way to maximize their investment.

Only in the NASCAR world could a move that essentially helps the ­corporate sponsors be sold as something that will be beneficial to the fans.

I guess I could be a lot more positive, but all these commercials have me a bit jaded.

Contact Andy Cagle at andycagle@earthlink.net.