Amazing what happens when NASCAR lets everyone watch a race

PublishedAugust 27, 2025 10:23 AM EDT•UpdatedAugust 27, 2025 10:23 AM EDT

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For the first time in four months, a NASCAR Cup Series race was on network TV last weekend. That’s right. You read that RIGHT. 

In case you didn’t, let me say it again, this time with a twist. 

For the first time in 122 days, there was an actual NASCAR race on network TV last weekend. 122! And guess what? For the first time in … 122 days … viewership for a weekend NASCAR race rose. And it rose by A LOT. 

It’s amazing what happens when you put things on a channel that everyone can find! 

NASCAR on network TV again? Don’t get used to it

Look, it was Daytona, so take it with a grain of salt. TV ratings for anything NASCAR-related at Daytona tend to do better than almost anywhere else, with Talladega usually being the exception. 

But, let’s not dance around it here – this race did well because it was on NBC. Here’s how the channel lineup has looked since that April 27th race at Talladega:

FS1 for four races. Amazon Prime for the next five. TNT for the next five. USA Network for the last three. 

That’s 13 straight races on either cable or streaming. It should shock absolutely nobody that the summer TV ratings for NASCAR STUNK. They were awful. Amazon lost viewers every single week, despite coverage that was universally applauded. 

Lord knows nobody was watching a race on TNT or USA in July, either. That’s already a brutal month for sports viewership. Putting races on cable during it? Good luck. 

Thanks to the robots over at ChatGPT, here are a couple stunning graphics to really get the blood flowing today:

I mean, my God. I know comparing streaming and cable to network TV is apples and oranges to bananas, but come on. 

Two weeks ago, NASCAR raced at Richmond on a Saturday night. It was one of the better races of the season. Austin Dillon won in a thriller. 

Nobody watched. It was one of the lowest-rated Cup races that I can remember. It pulled in 1.4 million viewers. Everyone said it was because it was a Saturday night race, and, to an extent, they were right. Saturday night races stink. They’re good for the fans, but awful for the sport. 

The next Saturday night race is set for Sept. 13 at Bristol. Wait till you see those numbers. It’ll be a bloodbath. 

But last weekend’s regular-season finale at Daytona was also on a Saturday night, and it was the most-watched race in four months. It’s partially a Saturday problem. It’s mostly a network problem. 

When the races are on cable, viewership goes down. Folks can’t find it. Some don’t have the channel. When they go to streaming, like NASCAR’s five-race summer swing on Amazon, it’s game over for any fan over 55. 

That’s not just me talking. That’s what the data said this summer. Prime hemorrhaged viewers all summer, but they actually gained in the 18-34 demo. That’s what they want. That’s what NASCAR wants. 

But it comes at a cost, at least in the short term. And it’s in the TV ratings. Longtime fans are walking away because they can’t find the race. 

When they can find it, they watch. Look at Talladega in the spring. Look at Daytona last weekend. The appetite is still there, but the food ain’t as good anymore. 

Unfortunately, NASCAR won’t be on network TV again until the final three races of the season. So for those who fell in love with it again last Saturday …

We’ll see you Oct. 19!