The Success of the Fontana Race Mercilessly Pales in Comparison to Races From Recent NASCAR History – Here’s Why

NASCAR’s first venture to Auto Club Speedway in two years was looked at as a successful comeback. After all, the venue was jam-packed with crowds for the entire weekend, as Kyle Larson took his first NASCAR win of the season.

The race itself was full of thrilling action. From tire problems to teammates wrecking each other to passes in the closing stages of the race, the Wise Power 400 had it all.

And the same is reflected in the viewership data as well.

NASCAR journalist Adam Stern reported that the Cup race at Auto Club Speedway was “by far” the most-watched sports event of the weekend with 4.5 million viewers tuning in.

However, this number turns pale in comparison to the number of viewers from the last two years.

The second point races from the last couple of years brought in more viewers than the recent Wise Power 400, with Daytona road course getting 4.75 million viewers in 2021 and Las Vegas getting 5.5 million in 2020.

So it’s clear that while on its own, the race in Southern California could be seen as a successful one. But when pitted against recent history in the context of viewership, it isn’t as triumphant anymore.

NASCAR had roped in more viewers than the Olympics and NBA recently

This year’s Daytona 500 fell on the same weekend as the NBA All-Star Game as well as the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics. But while many were expecting NASCAR to take a beating against these two, in reality, the stock cars came out on top.

An estimated 8.9 million viewers tuned in to watch rookie Austin Cindric win the Daytona 500, a number that was 41% higher than LeBron James’ return to Cleveland.

The 8.9 million viewers of stock cars also stood tall, by 35%, compared to the 6.6 million of Olympic closing ceremonies.

So it will be interesting to see how NASCAR aims to maintain its superiority in the present while aiming to recover and overcome the losses of the past.

It certainly won’t be an easy task, but this juggling task, should NASCAR pull it off, could take the sport back to its former glory once again.

Also Read: “Classic NASCAR to Ignore a Glaring Issue” – Fans Fume as Sport Opts to Use Same Much-Criticized Procedure of Dealing With Flat Tires at Las Vegas