NASCAR is geared up for one of its biggest seasons so far in 2025. The sanctioning body made major changes to reach the sport’s former glory. And they opted for a revolution in the broadcasting model by inking a massive $7.7 billion media rights deal. For the first time in the history of NASCAR, the Cup Series races will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video and WB’s TNT Sports. Well, things started off well with the Daytona 500 as FOX earned 6.761 million average viewers. There was a 13% rise in the number when compared to last year’s crown jewel event.

And now that the dust has settled after the frantic race in Atlanta, the numbers are out. Although the progress is not at par with the Daytona 500, the AmBetter 400 continued the upward trend of better viewership numbers. Thus indicating that NASCAR is headed in the right direction.

NASCAR’s TV Ratings Were in Free Fall: Until They Weren’t

@FOXTV got 4.586 million viewers for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta, up 1% from last year and the most-watched sports event of the weekend in the U.S. Sure, a 1% increase won’t have champagne bottles popping in Daytona Beach, but in a sport that has spent the last decade bleeding viewers, any gain is worth celebrating. Even better? NASCAR outran the NBA and college basketball that same weekend. Not bad for a sport that some had written off as “past its prime.”

For most of the 2010s, NASCAR’s ratings didn’t just decline; they crashed harder than a last-lap pileup at Bristol. Races that once pulled 9.5 million viewers in 2015 barely scraped 3.7 million by 2021. Fans weren’t just turning off their TVs; they were abandoning ship. So, what happened? Well, plenty. An aging fanbase that wasn’t exactly rushing to TikTok, the retirement of superstars like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, and the fact that Sunday afternoons are now packed with everything from esports to binge-worthy Netflix shows.

Adding to the numbers from the past weekend, the Atlanta race peaked at 5,567,000 viewers. And this uptick has made a significant impact on FOX’s sports overall numbers since the season started at Daytona. After the first two race weekends, NASCAR on FOX is averaging 5,752,000 viewers. This is up by 10% when compared to last year’s number of 5,223,000. Another important factor to note here is that the Daytona 500 had a delayed start due to rain.

Yet, despite all the doom and gloom, NASCAR’s viewership started showing signs of life. The 2022 season saw an increase. 2023 did the same. And now, with Atlanta 2024 continuing that trend, there’s good reason to think the sport is fighting its way back. It’s not a Daytona 500-sized comeback, but in a world where it seems like everything is moving online, NASCAR showing it can still draw millions of viewers on live television is no small accomplishment.

While the fans at home did enjoy the NASCAR coverage, it didn’t compare to those who witnessed the thrilling actions from the grandstands. The end of the race played out similar to the 2024 three-wide photo finish, but the untimely caution flag handed the win to Christopher Bell. Well, apart from major American sports, NASCAR is battling on multiple fronts to attract viewers to their show every week.

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NASCAR vs. Formula 1: The New Rivalry No One Saw Coming

Just when NASCAR thought it had enough to worry about, along came Formula 1, sneaking into America’s sports scene like a fast-moving pit crew. Once barely a blip on the radar, F1 has exploded in popularity, thanks to Netflix’s Drive to Survive and its push into the U.S. market. Now, it regularly pulls over a million American viewers per race, and even more impressively, its fanbase skews younger. This is where NASCAR is trying it’s best to transition to cater to new audiences and viewers to its sport.

That’s a problem. Not because older fans don’t matter (they absolutely do), but because long-term survival means attracting new blood. NASCAR has tried there with the Chicago Street Race, more social media engagement, and even a partnership with influencers. But can it truly compete with F1’s sleek, globally connected brand?

One thing working in NASCAR’s favor? The on-track product has been delivered. The racing has been intense, unpredictable and most importantly, fun to watch. If that continues, and if NASCAR finds a way to bring younger fans into the fold, the sport could be on the verge of something big.

But that’s the question, isn’t it? Is this modest bump in viewership the beginning of a genuine rebirth or an anomaly? Only the next several months will tell. NASCAR isn’t quite yet out of the woods, but one thing is sure, it still knows how to put on a show.