The return of the NASCAR Cup Series to TNT for the Quaker State 400 at Atlanta’s EchoPark Speedway last Saturday drew significant attention, especially as NASCAR’s viewership outpaced Formula One’s numbers on the F1 movie’s premiere weekend. Ryan Blaney on NASCAR F1 ratings took center stage, with prominent figures debating what the ratings reveal about both motorsports’ places in U.S. popularity.
NASCAR’s Ratings Return to TNT and Viewer Reactions
NASCAR’s Quaker State 400 was its first TNT-aired race since 2014, drawing an audience of 1.608 million, according to Adam Stern of Sports Business Journal. The broadcast revived an old network partnership and coincided with an engaging Saturday night event that saw racing fans tuning in from across the country. Jeff Gluck of The Athletic voiced disappointment in the numbers, noting the challenges that Saturday night races face in attracting large audiences, and pointed out the F1 Austrian Grand Prix that same weekend received a record 1.1 million U.S. viewers, just a slight increase from last year.
“Ugh, Saturday night NASCAR races just can’t seem to pull numbers. NASCAR says it got an average of 1.6 million viewers for the Atlanta race. 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, The Athletic
Ryan Blaney Pushes Back on NASCAR Negativity
Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Cup Series driver, took to social media with a contrasting opinion, eager to highlight that NASCAR consistently attracts more American viewers than F1. He used vivid language and statistics to make his point, emphasizing that the recent Atlanta race outperformed its European rival by roughly half a million viewers.
“We crush the parade every week.”
—Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Driver
“So, we got 500k more folks tuned in,”
—Ryan Blaney, NASCAR Driver
“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
NASCAR’s Dominance Over F1 in U.S. Viewership
This year, F1 races on ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC have averaged 1.3 million viewers per race. In contrast, NASCAR has averaged 2.88 million viewers over 18 events, nearly doubling F1’s American viewership. While the Saturday race in Atlanta represented a season low for NASCAR, last year’s comparable events demonstrated a strong following, with the September playoff at the same track drawing 2.02 million viewers against the NFL and the Nashville Superspeedway event attracting 3.24 million on NBC.
Blaney’s remarks and the numbers show that, despite fluctuations and the occasional underperforming weekend, NASCAR maintains a clear lead in the crucial U.S. market. Key entities such as Adam Stern and outlets like The Athletic continue to track and compare these figures closely, fueling ongoing discussions among motorsport fans and industry analysts.
Future Outlook for NASCAR on TNT and Beyond
The next four NASCAR Cup Series broadcasts on TNT are set for Sunday afternoons, starting with the Chicago Street Race. This scheduling shift could potentially influence viewership trajectories, as Sundays have traditionally been more favorable for live sports. After this TNT stint, the remainder of the Cup Series season will be shown on NBC and USA Network, potentially affecting overall averages and continuing to shape the comparison with Formula One.
As NASCAR heads into the latter half of the season with consistent viewership and outspoken support from prominent drivers like Ryan Blaney, the ongoing battle for ratings supremacy and audience loyalty between NASCAR and F1 appears poised to continue, with new data emerging each week to influence the debate.
