NASCAR Ratings Problem: New Nielsen Data Analysis
- Although there are plenty of races left on the Cup Series schedule, NASCAR might officially have a ratings problem.
- That figure represents a 5% decrease from last year's spring race at Bristol, making it the least-watched spring Bristol race in recent history.
- Only two Cup Series races this season have seen year-over-year viewership increases: the Daytona 500, which rose 11%, and the Phoenix race, which increased by 1%.
Although there are plenty of races left on the Cup Series schedule, NASCAR might officially have a ratings problem. Nielsen’s newest data shows that last Sunday’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway averaged 1.945 million viewers on FS1.
That figure represents a 5% decrease from last year’s spring race at Bristol, making it the least-watched spring Bristol race in recent history. It also marks the first time a Fox Sports race has averaged fewer than 2 million viewers without a rain delay, according to Braylon Breeze of RaceDay Report.
Only two Cup Series races this season have seen year-over-year viewership increases: the Daytona 500, which rose 11%, and the Phoenix race, which increased by 1%. The Daytona 500 was televised exclusively on FOX.
While broadcast television ratings have not been poor for NASCAR, the sport’s audience is now spread across four networks due to its current media rights deal. With only five races scheduled on FOX this season, the supply of races on major broadcast platforms may not be sufficient to meet fan demand.
NASCAR’s media rights agreement with FOX Sports, NBC Sports, Amazon’s Prime Video, and TNT Sports runs through the 2031 season. The deal, finalized in 2023 and implemented in 2025, included a 40% increase in rights fees. However, viewership has not seen a corresponding rise.
The agreement reduced the number of races on traditional broadcast networks — down from nine on FOX and seven on NBC in prior deals to five on FOX and four on NBC currently — to create new summer packages for TNT and Amazon’s Prime Video. FOX and NBC retained select races on their cable channels, FS1 and USA Network, to maintain lucrative carriage fees. USA Network has since been spun out into Versant.
Although viewership for entertainment programming on cable has declined significantly, live sports and news continue to draw strong audiences relative to cord-cutting trends. NASCAR’s consistent ratings and race-day appeal have historically made it valuable to cable providers seeking to retain subscribers. This dynamic explains why FOX and NBC agreed to pay more for NASCAR despite declining overall cable viewership.
While the increased media rights revenue benefits NASCAR financially, the current viewership trend raises concerns about accessibility for fans. As one industry observer noted, the product is now more fragmented across platforms, potentially limiting reach.