NASCAR’s spring visit to Bristol brought an incredible wave of viewership. Bristol in March showed just what the track was capable of delivering. Therefore, with the excitement of wrecks and high tire wear, the cutoff race in Bristol had all eyes on it. However, what unfolded did not leave fans happy at all and it seems like no amount of increase in viewership can make up for it.

NASCAR’s Bristol numbers go up despite Kyle Larson’s domination

The Night Race at Bristol was a mixed bag for most NASCAR fans. It promised an exciting cutoff race at a short track. Moreover, Bristol is a track known for its drama, suggesting the race would be thrilling, right? However, what followed was a completely disappointing picture for all viewers. Starting from second place, Kyle Larson immediately passed pole-sitter Alex Bowman and settled comfortably into first place. Unfortunately, for fans, the race ended in an absolutely dominating win, as Larson drove ahead with a 7-second margin. Apart from a few passes, overtaking was a rare occurrence. Tire wear was not as expected; instead of struggling with high wear, cars could go all out and keep pushing.

Because drivers didn’t need to manage tires and vary pit strategies, they held their positions, resulting in a relatively boring race. However boring the race may have been, NASCAR benefited from it from than they did in 2023. There was a 300,000-viewer increase, with 1.868 million viewers tuning in to watch. The weekend also garnered a TV rating of 0.98. Compared to last year’s numbers, viewership rose 20% and ratings increased 10%.

Ideally, a monotonous race drawing nearly 2 million viewers should alleviate concerns. The numbers align with the track’s historical average of 1.9 million viewers. Notably, the Xfinity Series also experienced a viewership surge, breaking its eight-month record for highest TV ratings. NASCAR’s Bristol outing achieved these numbers despite being termed boring. Compared to last year’s competitive race, is the 300,000-viewer increase a promising sign? Fans are doubtful as they look further ahead than just a year and numbers, and they’re not hesitating to express their concerns.

Fans bash Bristol numbers

Fans are certainly not happy with the current state of affairs, and they have good reason to feel this way. Looking at viewership data from 2019 and previous years, things looked vastly different. A 1.71 rating and 2.81 million viewers were considered a poor showing for Bristol, a race that is NASCAR’s unofficial crown jewel. In 2018, despite being held on a Monday instead of a weekend, the race drew 1.96 million viewers. Going back further, a pattern emerges: Bristol consistently hit the 5 million viewer mark. As one fan explained, the drop might have something to do with COVID. They said,” That was many years ago. I don’t think this race has had 4 million viewers since pre-Covid.”

There may be another reason for the fall in popularity- the NFL season. Similar to NASCAR races, NFL events often take place on the weekends, with multiple games lined up throughout the evening. Given the popularity of football across America, it seems understandable how it could take eyes off the Bristol race. This was evident the weekend before Bristol when NASCAR visited ‘The Glen’. At Watkins Glen, NASCAR saw a waning viewership count of 1.8 million, and fans attributed this largely to the races being scheduled parallel to the NFL fixtures. At the time, the Bengals vs Chiefs game took up a majority of viewership from across the country, making fans think viewership is doomed regardless of whether NASCAR races on Sundays, or as they did on Saturday at Bristol. A fan wrote, “Any race during the football season is gonna suffer doesn’t matter if it’s on Sundays or Saturdays.”

In contrast to the intense spring Bristol race, the cutoff race was decidedly less thrilling. Viewership numbers reflect this disparity: the March race at the same track averaged 3.8 million viewers, significantly surpassing the current count. As one fan noted, NASCAR’s key misstep lies in failing to deliver an exciting enough product to captivate fans. The fan said, “Because we were all expecting a ramped-up Spring Bristol.”

This sentiment resonates with numerous fans who believe that thrilling racing is the core attraction. While witnessing Kyle Larson’s historic achievement was electrifying, fans mostly crave edge-of-their-seat action throughout each race. One fan hence sarcastically tweeted, “It’s almost like good racing is what drives the sport’s popularity. Shame they squandered it with the race Saturday.” It appears NASCAR’s decision to apply PJ1 to the track ultimately backfired, as it contributed to the lackluster competition.

All things considered, 1.86 million viewers isn’t a bad number. Yet, the sentiment to settle for 1.86 million viewers is exactly what some fans are against. While some celebrate the increased viewership this year, fans believe this only covers up the bigger problem for the sport. A sport that could once challenge NBA playoffs for the top viewership spot finds itself struggling to reach the 2 million mark. One fan brought this to light with some harsh words. They said, “This sport is worse off than anyone realizes.”

As we head into the Round of 12, expectations will only intensify for races to deliver the excitement fans desire. The hope is to see viewership numbers return to their former glory.