NASCAR and The CW had high hopes when the first full season of their TV rights deal began this year. Two races in, the results are extremely impressive.
According to Sports Media Watch, Saturday’s Xfinity Series race from Atlanta averaged 1.31 million viewers. That’s a respectable 10% increase from last year’s broadcast on FS1. Even more impressively, the race finished second in the ratings among sports broadcasts Saturday, trailing only ABC’s NBA Saturday Primetime matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets (2.87 million viewers).
Yet the Xfinity Series race’s viewership topped college basketball games on CBS and Fox, an NHL on ABC game, and the PGA Tour on NBC.
“It is not necessarily unusual for the Xfinity Series to outdraw more prominent sporting events, but for CW to top each of the “Big Four” on a competitive weekend afternoon is almost certainly unprecedented,” Sports Media Watch observed.
That Xfinity Series audience is also notable given winner Austin Hill led 146 of the 163 laps at Atlanta. Non-competitive races generally tend to draw lower ratings.
It’s early in the season, but NASCAR officials and The CW executives have to be thrilled with early returns. The season-opening race from Daytona averaged 1.8 million viewers, the best numbers for any Xfinity race since 2022 and the highest for a season-opening race since 2020.
The CW’s deal with NASCAR for exclusive Xfinity Series rights runs through 2031 and is reportedly worth $115 million per year.
In related news, Atlanta’s NASCAR Cup Series race on Fox averaged 4.59 million viewers, the best marks for a post-Daytona 500 race since 2021.
About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.