Despite ‘Boring’ Accusations, Joe Gibbs’ Phoenix Dominance Helps NASCAR Raid TV Charts Again

Last weekend’s Cup Series race in Phoenix garnered 4.028 million views on FOX. Thus making it the most watched sports event over the weekend across the country. NASCAR has managed to ace the TV ratings for their racing event ever since the dramatic finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race certainly caught everyone’s attention, even non-racing fans, and others were involved in the aftermath of the race. This was followed by a strong run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which saw some 4.359 fans tune in to watch the race.

Making it three races in a row, NASCAR once again dominated TV viewership during the weekend with the Shriners Children’s 500 race in Phoenix. For a race that was seemingly called out by the fans as boring and stale, the TV ratings paint a rather contrasting picture of how different fans viewed the weekend’s race.

In the past, there have been concerns among the community regarding declining TV ratings for the NASCAR Cup Series race. But the 2024 year seems to be proving quite a turnaround for the sport. The photo-finish race in Atlanta saw NASCAR dominate the TV ratings, and the trend seems to have continued in Vegas and Phoenix.

The event in Phoenix had 4.028 million views, a 19% spike when compared to last year’s 3.389 million views. It was a sell-out crowd at Phoenix Raceway that saw Christopher Bell clinch his first win of the season. This race also marked the first win for the new Toyota Camry, which for some time had not been able to catch up to Ford and Chevy. This development and the statistics shared by Adam Stern on X left many NASCAR fans puzzled, as most of them were not impressed by the event last Sunday.

Fans react to another dominating TV rating run by NASCAR despite a “boring” Phoenix race

Netflix docuseries, NASCAR: Full Speed, received a positive response from fans and the community alike, and according to a fan, this has helped boost the TV ratings for the races so far. “The Netflix effect is real,” as they say.

Against popular opinion, one fan didn’t see any reason why the race received a backlash last Sunday and was all praises for the impressive showing in TV ratings. “Awsome, I didn’t think it was a bad race. I felt like it was a typical typical Phoenix race”.

Surprised by the numbers, one fan added, “Holy sh*t for a race that people claim it was boring it had a massive spike in viewership rating”.

Taking a jibe at salty NASCAR fans, a user chimed in with a message suggesting that the Next Gen era is not the end for the sport. “The nextgen killed the sport! Oh wait…”.

What were your thoughts regarding the race at Phoenix, and will NASCAR manage to pull off similar TV ratings throughout the rest of the season?

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