NASCAR’s TV ratings trump F1 for second time in a row, still missing stronghold on younger audience

Modified Oct 24, 2023 23:13 IST

Last Sunday, October 22, marked the second time this year that both a NASCAR and F1 race were held simultaneously in the US. Surprisingly, NASCAR outshone the prestigious open-wheeler series in terms of TV Ratings.

The Homestead-Miami Speedway hosted the Round-of-8 NASCAR Cup Series playoff race, while the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas was the venue for the US Grand Prix. According to a report by Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, the Cup Series emerged victorious with higher overall viewership for the weekend.

Austin Konenski reported that the 4EVER 400, which was broadcast on cable, attracted an average of 2.250 million viewers on NBC. Although this marked a 2.6% drop from the previous year’s race, it still managed to easily surpass the US GP on ABC, which only drew in 882,000 viewers.

Interestingly, while the Cup Series race attracted more than double the number of viewers compared to the F1 race, the split among key demographics was relatively equal. The 4EVER 400 had over 339,000 viewers in the 18-49 age group, with 142,000 viewers from ages 18-34.

The United States GP garnered 298,000 viewers from ages 18-49 and 115,000 viewers from ages 18-34. Despite this, NASCAR can still celebrate a small victory as it managed to surpass the global racing series in these crucial demographics.

NASCAR’s advancement in the younger fanbase is significant progress compared to their first head-to-head race earlier in the year, when the Miami GP and the AdventHealth 400 at Kansas Speedway were broadcast simultaneously.

While NASCAR excelled in terms of overall viewership, F1 triumphed over the stock car series in key demographics. A whopping 625,000 viewers in the 18-49 age group tuned in to watch the F1 race, while the Cup Series event only attracted 430,000 viewers in the same age range.

Although Formula 1 is gradually solidifying its presence in the US with three annual races, NASCAR appears to be heading in the right direction.

With recent developments such as a new video game deal and an upcoming Netflix docuseries, NASCAR holds hope for attracting new and younger audiences.

Christopher Bell: Thriving Under NASCAR Playoff Pressure

Since NASCAR introduced the playoff format, winning races has become increasingly crucial. While many drivers struggle under the pressure, Christopher Bell seems to thrive in such situations.

As the driver of the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing car, Bell secured two impressive wins at Charlotte and Martinsville last season, which propelled him into the championship four. This year, he once again showcased his prowess with a crucial victory at Homestead, securing his place in the season finale.

Following his recent triumph at Miami, the 28-year-old expressed his affinity for pressure, stating:

“I absolutely thrive on pressure, and I welcome it with open arms. Those are the moments that I live for. That’s why last week’s outcome was so devastating, because I live for those moments. When you have the chance to be truly great… It didn’t work out last week, and that truly hurt me.”

In addition to his remarkable playoff performances, Christopher Bell is the only driver to have made the championship four in both 2022 and 2023. He is now set to compete for his maiden title at Phoenix Raceway on November 5.