Kenny Wallace NASCAR ratings analysis has become front and center after the 2025 racing season saw viewership fall by 13% compared to last year, casting a shadow over one of America’s iconic motorsport leagues. The downturn has been amplified by shifting broadcast strategies and rising competition, prompting Wallace—a former driver and television analyst—to publicly dissect the reasons behind NASCAR’s struggle and what it could mean for the future of the sport.
As outlets like Fox Sports and Daytona International Speedway host key races, stakeholders are increasingly worried by the numbers: for example, when New Hampshire hosted a Cup Series event this season, only 1.29 million tuned in, making it one of the least watched non-weather-impacted races in recent times. The ongoing decline comes despite persistent efforts by NASCAR to broaden its reach through digital and streaming initiatives and a push to keep pace with the surging popularity of other motorsports among younger audiences. Even legends such as Kenny Wallace are voicing concerns, offering both critique and context to a world of passionate fans and long-time viewers.
Kenny Wallace Delivers His Unfiltered View on Ratings Slide
Kenny Wallace, appearing recently on his “Coffee with Kenny” segment, tackled the tough subject, highlighting the shock that came after NHRA’s drag racing event edged out NASCAR in the ratings war. As Wallace noted, NHRA’s cable broadcast garnered 1.872 million viewers, outpacing NASCAR’s 1.717 million at Kansas—a notable reversal for a sport accustomed to leading these metrics.
NHRA got a little lucky and we all know it. So let’s be serious here, okay. Yeah, can all be big, mature people, and then we can run race tracks and go look at NHRA out in NASCAR. Well, first of all, we got good views this week. It was 1.7 million people who watched NASCAR. So the question is this: What the hell did the NHRA do to get so many views? That’s the question.
– Kenny Wallace, NASCAR Analyst
This surge, according to Wallace, was less about drag racing’s inherent appeal and more about fortunate timing. NHRA’s race aired during prime-time with an NFL broadcast as a lead-in, driving up crossover viewership. Wallace pointed to the large audience jump these conditions facilitated, as the NFL coverage before the NHRA event spiked to 7.9 million, seemingly funneling sports fans directly into motorsport coverage.
Why was NHRA so popular this weekend? Well, first of all, it was one of the first times in ages they were on prime time. And there was a football game going on, and the football game got over, or it was leading into it, but it was covered up. You know, on both sides? In other words, when the NHRA race was coming on, I think there was an NFL game getting ready to start, and it got like freaking 7.9 million views,
– Kenny Wallace, NASCAR Analyst
This context explains how NHRA benefitted from placement, while NASCAR’s schedule aligned its cable broadcasts against late NFL games, hurting its chance to catch a mainstream audience. Wallace sees the difference as a strategic error: the right time slot makes or breaks motorsports viewership, regardless of the on-track product.
Beyond the immediate ratings controversy, Wallace drew from personal experience and local sporting disappointments to emphasize how competition from football creates a saturated market. As a St. Louis native, his own history plays into this outlook, referencing both the Rams’ and Cardinals’ departures from his hometown as leaving a “bitter” taste and underscoring football’s all-consuming hold over fans.
Speaking of a great sport, you all like some NFL, don’t you, but I don’t watch because I’m bitter. Bitter or better, which will it be? The rest is up to me. I’m just mad that the St. Louis Rams and the Phoenix Cardinals, Arizona Cardinals are gone. We couldn’t keep a football team in St. Louis. I’d like to run the city of St. Louis. I’d run it. I would run it and I’d tell you the first thing I do, but I can’t tell you cause it’d p-ss everybody off,
– Kenny Wallace, NASCAR Analyst
Context Behind NASCAR’s Ratings Dip
The downward trend in NASCAR viewership is not isolated to a single race or week. For the full 2025 season, audiences dropped sharply, often by double digits, as fewer events made it to mainstream broadcast television. Instead, more races have moved to pay-TV and streaming-only platforms, which tend to cater to a more limited, older, and already-engaged audience.
This migration of coverage away from free-to-air TV is occurring just as sports like Formula 1 and NHRA make aggressive plays for younger viewers and coveted primetime slots. While the NFL’s influence on audience numbers is undeniable, NASCAR’s own strategic missteps in scheduling are becoming impossible to ignore. Wallace, reflecting on his own era, recognizes the drop: where 3 to 4 million viewers per race were common in the 1990s, today’s averages barely reach half that total.
So congratulations to everybody in NHRA and to everybody mad at me because I like NASCAR. Here’s the other thing. People are mad at me cause I like NASCAR. Oh, he always talks good about NASCAR. NASCAR is falling mightily; they failed. They’re falling mightily. There were only 1.7 million people watching the race back in my day,
– Kenny Wallace, NASCAR Analyst
Wallace’s defense, however, does not let NASCAR entirely off the hook. He accepts that the overall audience decline is real, not simply a blip caused by an unusual scheduling twist. For him, NHRA’s ratings edge was a matter of being in the right place at the right time, not a permanent supplanting of stock car racing at the top of America’s motorsport food chain.
There used to be 4 million, so to everybody that’s just all excited that NHRA outran us, there’s a reason, it was on primetime. It was covered up by football, and first of all, you know it really… It’s not even that the NHRA people did it,
– Kenny Wallace, NASCAR Analyst
Despite the slightly defensive tone, Wallace’s view suggests NASCAR still has brand power and a loyal fanbase but is currently hindered by misaligned strategies and the broader shifts in television consumption. If changes are not made—especially in terms of how and when races are shown—he fears the sport could lose even more ground to rivals capitalizing on scheduling windfalls and cultural moments.
The Importance of Stars Like Denny Hamlin in Difficult Times
Amid the somber mood surrounding declining ratings, Wallace pivoted to the mental toughness displayed by present-day NASCAR drivers, zeroing in on Denny Hamlin. Fresh off his 60th career win at Las Vegas, Hamlin drew rare applause from fans who had traditionally booed him, moved to tears in the aftermath as he battled personal as well as professional pressures.
It’s Denny Hamlin. Denny thrives on sh*t talk… Denny Hamlin has taken enormous abuse because he is an entertainer. Whenever you entertain, whenever the masses lay their eyes on you, they’re going to find everything they can wrong with you because it will make them feel powerful,
– Kenny Wallace, NASCAR Analyst
Wallace put Hamlin in the company of sport legends like Darrell Waltrip and Tony Stewart, noting how those who absorb the bulk of criticism or controversy often end up driving the sport’s narrative forward. Hamlin’s emotional victory, Wallace pointed out, was less about locking in a playoff berth than about his family’s struggles, especially his father’s declining health.
I’m going to have to put Denny Hamlin right up there… Do you all realize the abuse that you’ve given Denny Hamlin? And all he does is win… Denny Hamlin cries because he says his dad is ailing. This 60 wins means a lot because his father is ailing. His father is not good,
– Kenny Wallace, NASCAR Analyst
For Wallace, the emotional stress and resilience displayed by Hamlin are emblematic of what NASCAR needs right now: drivers who can rise amid adversity, drawing in fans both old and new even as the audience shrinks. Hamlin continues to anchor headlines as he faces not just the weekly grind of playoff racing, but also a high-profile legal battle and worry about his father’s health, all of which make his recent win and continued success in the sport particularly significant.
This connection between visible, relatable human stories and a sport’s appeal is a theme Wallace believes NASCAR can harness if it wants to reverse its current fortunes. As declining ratings trigger public warnings and introspection, it is the personalities—the entertainers, the emotionally-driven racers—who provide NASCAR its best shot at regaining the attention and loyalty of sports fans nationwide.
What’s Next for NASCAR as Audience Erosion Continues?
The future trajectory of NASCAR hangs in the balance as long-term viewership trends point downward and legends like Kenny Wallace issue stark warnings. His detailed NASCAR ratings analysis draws attention to underlying causes far beyond just one lost weekend—fundamental changes in broadcasting strategy, intensified competition from other leagues, and evolving American sports consumption habits now threaten the sport’s prominence.
While Wallace encourages fans to keep faith in NASCAR and highlights how external factors like NFL scheduling can artificially skew the numbers, his message is clear: unless NASCAR adapts, finds smarter ways to reach and engage new demographics, and leverages the compelling drama embodied by stars like Denny Hamlin, this venerable motorsport risks falling further behind in one of the world’s most crowded and competitive sports landscapes.
“Coffee with Kenny”
MY OPINION on @NHRA beating @NASCAR in TV ratings 🏁 pic.twitter.com/KLXmbxphMy
— Kenny Wallace (@Kenny_Wallace) October 15, 2025
