Viewership of NASCAR Cup Series championship race down from 2022

The recent NASCAR Cup Series championship race, which was clinched by Ryan Blaney, saw a drop in viewership compared to the previous season’s race. According to Nielsen data via Sports TV Ratings, the average number of viewers for this year’s race was just over 2.9 million, while the previous season’s race had an average audience of 3.213 million viewers.

This decline comes after two seasons of audience stability for the Cup Series finale, with last season’s race having a similar audience to the 2021 finale and approximately 150,000 more viewers than the 2020 finale.

While the lower viewership for Sunday’s race is slightly above the average decline in NASCAR viewership overall in 2023, NASCAR president Steve Phelps expressed contentment with the modest declines overall after facing significant viewer losses at the beginning of the season.

Despite Phelps’ optimism, the average audience for Sunday’s race was less than half of what it was for the 2016 season finale, which saw over 6 million people watching Jimmie Johnson win his seventh and final title that season.

With just one more year remaining on its current Cup Series television deal with Fox and NBC, both networks are likely taking viewership trends into account at the negotiating table with NASCAR. Additionally, Cup Series teams are pushing for a bigger share of the money from the television rights fees NASCAR receives, with discussions ongoing regarding the renewal of the charter agreement that guarantees 36 cars entry into every race and a larger share of the prize money available at the end of the season.

As the broadcast negotiations progress, Phelps emphasized the desire to change the paradigm for race teams in order to ensure their profitability and competitiveness on the race tracks. Discussions on other aspects of what the charters would look like aside from financial considerations are also underway as media rights are being finalized.

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Olivia Carter

Olivia Carter revs up excitement in the world of NASCAR. As a dedicated motorsports enthusiast, she covers race results, driver profiles, and the latest developments in the NASCAR world, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.