The viewing figures from an action-packed weekend of motorsport in the U.S. have been revealed, and they paint two differing pictures for NASCAR’s Cup Series and Formula 1.

NASCAR returned to Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday for the YellaWood 500, which served as the second of three Round of 8 Playoff races. Six drivers are left fighting for the final two Championship 4 places with their odds revealed entering Martinsville this weekend. 

A relatively tame race by the Superspeedway’s standards, it was ultimately won by Joe Gibbs Racing’s Chase Briscoe in the No. 19 Toyota, passing 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace in the No. 23 Toyota on the final lap of overtime to take the checkered flag and seal his berth in the Championship Four. He now has a tactic to oust his biggest rivals. 

The mid-afternoon trip to Alabama was ultimately watched from afar by an audience of 2.556 million fans on NBC, a significant drop from the 3.127 million it drew in 2024 (which was held on October 6), as per Adam Stern and the Sports Business Journal.

This follows a worrying trend seen throughout the majority of the 2025 Cup Series season of a continual drop in viewership, with the low point so far having come at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the Round of 12, where 1.29 million fans tuned in.

The next two races could provide further valuable insight into the state of NASCAR’s standing among its fanbase, given how much is on the line.

With just Briscoe and his teammate Denny Hamlin locked in to the Championship Four, two spots remain up for grabs with JGR’s Christopher Bell and Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson in pole position to snatch them up heading to Martinsville Speedway. A week later, the season will come to a close at Phoenix Raceway.

Comparatively, the news was good for F1 down in Texas, with the United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas, which started an hour after the Cup Series race, drawing 1.5 million viewers over on ABC. Not only was this a new record, but it marked a 14 percent year-on-year jump.

As for the race, it too was somewhat underwhelming, with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen dominating from start to finish as he continues his late title surge. As for his rivals in Papaya, McLaren’s Lando Norris came home in second, while series leader Oscar Piastri finished fifth. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc rounded out the top three.

This positive step forward for F1 in the U.S. came just days after it was announced that it would be moving from ESPN to Apple TV from 2026 in a five-year, $750 million deal.

With an average value of around $150 million per year, F1 will be available to watch for the platform’s subscribers at no extra cost beyond the standard subscription. This comes as a stark contrast to its existing coverage of the MLS, for which there is a separate MLS Season Pass subscription.