Despite Fandom’s Backlash, COTA Propels NASCAR to 4 Million Mark With 5th Successive TV Jump

The big concern for NASCAR over the last few years has been the declining viewership ratings on FOX. Moreover, the start of this season with rain-affected events at the Coliseum and Daytona seemed to have continued the trend of last season. However, a thrilling end to the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway sparked a resurgence in TV ratings that has been continuing ever since.

This trend even continued after the first road course race at the Circuit of the Americas, which has helped NASCAR average some 4 million views, excluding the Daytona 500 event. Considering the Texas road course race was not a hit amongst the majority of the fans, the positive TV ratings are something for NASCAR to build on.

NASCAR TV ratings reaching new heights after the COTA race

At last Sunday’s race in Texas, Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron cruised to his second win of the season, despite a good struggle by Christopher Bell. The only eventful moment of the day was the heated exchange between Kyle Busch and Christopher Bell. As far as the race was concerned, it was nothing special, but still got the job done in terms of getting numbers on TV.

A poll by prominent NASCAR journalist Jeff Gluck showcased that only 50.2% of the voters liked the event. Taking to X, he shared, “Ranks lowest of the four COTA races so far (previous low: 2021 rain race, 53.1%). Ranks No. 27 of the 32 road course races in the poll. The second-lowest race of this year so far (Phoenix, 40.2%)“.

But coming to the viewership metrics, the race was a success when compared to last season’s feature. The race at COTA garnered 3,310,000 viewers on FOX, which is a 6% increase from last year’s 3,129,000 viewership count. Additionally, these positive numbers have added to a strong season average for the season so far, which stands at 4 million viewers per race.

While the exciting races at Atlanta and Bristol have allowed NASCAR to gain more traction on TV but there’s another big factor in play that has helped with the TV ratings.

Netflix docuseries has helped in the increase in viewership in 2024

The narrative or focus for NASCAR ever since the turn of the new decade has been to attract more fans to the sport. While the traditional TV audience has been following the sport for a long time but if NASCAR wants to attract new fans to the sport, it will have to expand beyond its current territory. This is exactly what they tried to achieve with the Netflix show ‘NASCAR: Full Speed’.

The show was considered a huge success in the community, and so far it has been reflected in the TV ratings of the Cup Series races. Dale Earnhardt Jr himself went on to explain how the series has helped the growth of the sport this year. “We got to go to spaces where people maybe haven’t seen our sport. They’ve heard about us, they haven’t been to a race, haven’t turned on the television yet, and Netflix is a great source where we can find those people.”

He also shared how the viewership has been good early in the season, projecting that it will continue to grow. “We’re seeing great numbers this year on your broadcast. Viewership basically kind of starts where it starts, and it slowly rises throughout the year. So we’re starting up and continuing to build,” Jr said to Chris Weaver in an interview.

With two short track races coming up at Richmond and Martinsville, the TV ratings are expected to hold up and continue on a positive trajectory.

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