- First time since 2008 IndyCar has averaged over one million viewers through first three races
- Nascar has never averaged below three million viewers in two of first five races before
IndyCar averaged 1.34 million viewers for last weekend’s inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington on Fox – the first time since 2008 the series has averaged more than one million viewers for the first three races of the season.
The championship’s return to Texas was held on a street circuit around the AT&T Stadium, home of the National Football League’s (NFL) Dallas Cowboys, and was well received by both fans and drivers alike.
As a new addition to the calendar, there is no direct year-over-year (YoY) comparison for the event. However it did average 142 per cent more viewers than the third race of last season at Long Beach (552,000 viewers on Fox).
IndyCar’s strong start to the 2026 campaign is all the more impressive given just four races, other than the Indianapolis 500, averaged more than one million viewers during its debut season on Fox.
Up next is a visit to Barber Motorsports Park, a race that has failed to average more than one million viewers since at least 2016.
Meanwhile, Nascar’s fifth race of the regular season, a visit to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, averaged 2.77 million viewers on FS1.
This is an 8.6 per cent decrease on last year’s audience of 3.01 million viewers, but it is higher than last year’s Cup Series average on the same channel (2.46 million).
Following the average audience of 2.84 million for the race in Phoenix the week prior, this is the first time Nascar has averaged below three million viewers twice in the first five races of the season.
However, through the first five races of the season, Nascar is actually performing better than last year. This season’s average viewership after five races sits at 4.3 million viewers, compared to 4.26 million in 2025.
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