SAN DIEGO — NASCAR’s inaugural San Diego street race weekend delivered record-setting engagement across broadcast, digital and on-site metrics, underscoring the series’ push into new markets and audiences.
Amazon’s Prime Video broadcast averaged 2.1 million viewers per minute, with a peak audience of 1,075,560 and more than 70 cameras deployed, including aerial coverage over Naval Base Coronado. The event also featured a unique military tie-in, with roughly 500 sailors on hand and portions of the race broadcast from the USS Carl Vinson.
Digital and gaming activations fueled additional reach. NASCAR-related experiences logged 1.06 million miles driven and 12,725 hours on track across platforms such as iRacing, eNASCAR and Roblox, while drawing 3.33 million unique players and 568,000 in-game visits. Streaming content generated 3.3 million minutes watched, signaling strong younger and interactive audience engagement.
On social media, the event produced 76.1 million impressions and 29.1 million in reach, with more than 11 million engagements and nearly 2.8 million video views a 7.7% increase over the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series average race week.
Earned media momentum was even more pronounced, with 41,500 total mentions five times higher year-over-year and a total potential reach of 49.5 billion, roughly triple typical levels. Coverage skewed overwhelmingly positive, with more than 97% rated neutral to favorable since Jan. 1.
At the track, the event drew a diverse and largely new audience. Sixty-seven percent of attendees were first-time NASCAR racegoers, with attendance spanning all 50 states and 17 countries. Organizers also reported a significantly higher share of female attendees and nearly triple the typical number of Hispanic fans compared to other NASCAR events.
Merchandise sales reflected the surge in new and casual fans, exceeding average trackside sales by more than 247% and posting an 88% higher average transaction value. NASCAR said the weekend ranked as its top-selling trackside event outside of Daytona Speedweeks since at least 2014.
Logistically, the temporary street circuit required extensive coordination, including 120 track operations personnel from across the country, dozens of equipment shipments and embedded timing loops throughout Coronado streets to support competition and officiating.
High-profile celebrity appearances including Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Marshawn Lynch further amplified visibility, helping NASCAR generate crossover appeal in one of its most ambitious event launches to date.