Ryan Blaney defends NASCAR Atlanta viewership as questions swirl over the most recent Cup Series ratings, following a weekend where the numbers drew intense scrutiny compared to prior years. Blaney highlighted increased engagement during the shift in broadcasting partners, arguing that NASCAR is thriving even amid year-over-year fluctuations.
The 2025 NASCAR broadcast environment entered a new era thanks to a $7.7 billion media rights agreement, which introduced fresh partners such as Amazon Prime Video and Warner Bros. alongside established channels like FOX and NBC. Prime Video and TNT each obtained five races, reshaping how fans engaged with the sport and how viewership was measured across platforms. Prime Video launched innovations including the Burn bar, illuminating the intricacies of fuel strategy during races, and extended post-race coverage that further involved viewers.
Despite these enhancements, the sequence of races from Charlotte to Pocono on Prime Video averaged 2.16 million viewers—a figure representing a 15% drop compared to the previous year’s stint. However, this slide coincided with a 36% increase in viewership from the important 18–34 demographic, and the median age dipped to 56.1, signaling traction with a younger audience. As the Cup Series moved to TNT, industry watchers anticipated how the transition would impact the numbers.
Numbers Reflect Changing Audience Habits
The Quaker State 400 delivered high drama on the track, with Chase Elliott celebrating a memorable victory at his home venue, reinforcing Atlanta’s reputation among veterans like Kyle Petty as a premier racing destination. Nevertheless, statistics from Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal revealed that Saturday’s Atlanta race captured an average of 1.608 million viewers across TNT Drama and truTV—though this figure excluded those watching on streaming service Max.
Clarifying the challenges in making year-over-year comparisons, industry analysts highlighted that last season’s Atlanta event took place in September, while the most recent edition was scheduled at the end of June, competing with different sports events and viewer schedules. Surrounding the occasion, Jeff Gluck referenced Formula 1’s Austria race, which drew 1.1 million viewers during a high-profile movie release weekend, marking just a modest 2% rise over the prior year. According to Gluck,
Also, if you were wondering about F1 viewership on the F1 movie’s premiere weekend, the Austria race got 1.1 million viewers (a record for that race, but only up two percent over last year).
—Jeff Gluck, Veteran Journalist
Blaney Pushes Back on Pessimism
As criticisms circulated regarding the trajectory of NASCAR’s TV audience, Ryan Blaney countered these sentiments by emphasizing positive trends and broader context. In a direct message, he addressed doubts by drawing attention to the sport’s overall reach and the competitive landscape in sports broadcasting. Blaney stated,
So, we got 500k more folks tuned in. Why do people make it out to be a bad thing? We crush the parade every week, so why do we get down in the dumps by this? Nascar is currently crushing it.
—Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Driver
These comments followed in-depth comparisons with last year’s September race in Atlanta, which drew 2.02 million average viewers during a Sunday that also featured eight concurrent NFL games. Meanwhile, the Nashville race hosted the same weekend last year drew even higher numbers, topping 3.24 million on NBC. The head-to-head contests with well-established leagues like the NFL provide further complexity to raw ratings data, blurring straightforward contrasts in performance.
Innovations and Scheduling Influence Viewer Patterns
NASCAR’s technical advancements and recent race formats, including the In-Season tournament and marquee events such as the Chicago Street Race and Brickyard 400, offer optimism that audience figures may rise as the season continues. The ongoing shakeup in broadcast rights—now featuring TNT and NBC—aims to resolve access confusion and make it easier for viewers to follow their preferred races, especially after initial fragmentation among streaming and cable outlets.
Observers have also noted that NASCAR’s ongoing goal is to build a younger fan base, a strategy likened to recent NFL experiments. After Thursday Night Football shifted to Prime Video in 2022, the league suffered a nearly 40% drop in audience in the first year before viewership gradually rebounded. NASCAR appears to be taking a similar risk, betting that initial declines will be offset by stronger engagement from Gen-Z and newcomers drawn in by fresh digital offerings and commentary by personalities such as Dale Jr.
Industry Leaders Frame the Competition for Audience Attention
NASCAR President Steve Phelps weighed in on the broader challenge of capturing fans in a crowded entertainment landscape where sports are not just fighting each other for eyeballs but competing with digital platforms, streaming services, and other media. As Phelps remarked,
And I think it’s really not just motorsports, actually not even just sports, it’s entertainment. And we are competing for that dollar. We are competing for your time and other people’s time because if they’re if they’re not watching NASCAR, are they watching Netflix? Are they watching movies? Are they watching, you know, CNBC? What are they doing when they’re not doing that? So it’s super competitive,
—Steve Phelps, NASCAR President
Underlying these shifts is the reality that the battle for attention now involves more platforms and more types of entertainment than ever. NASCAR, like sports celebrities in other leagues, faces the dual challenge of keeping hardcore fans engaged while also seeking younger, digital-native viewers for long-term growth.
What’s Next for NASCAR Viewership and Fan Growth
Although the average audience for recent races has declined compared to past years, the remaining season—including the In-Season challenge and playoffs—presents opportunities to rebound and potentially reshape the perception of NASCAR’s momentum. Factors such as innovative features, evolving partnerships with networks like NBC, TNT, and Amazon, and building on the excitement of races in cities like Atlanta, Charlotte, and Nashville are critical in determining the future trend of fan engagement and ratings.
Blaney’s defense of the current numbers, along with pointed remarks from leaders and reporters across motorsports, highlight the layered and complex dynamics shaping NASCAR’s present and future. The outlook for the remainder of the 2025 season remains open, but with continued investment in audience connection and technological improvements, the sport appears poised to weather current turbulence and pursue steady growth.
