Nascar drops below 2m viewers for fifth time this season at Watkins Glen

• Third-lowest Cup Series audience of 2025 so far
• Nascar averaging 2.69m viewers with two races remaining of regular season
• IndyCar yet to record an average audience below 500k this season
• Indy 500 performance lifts IndyCar’s full-season viewership average to 1.23m

Nascar averaged 1.85 million viewers for last weekend’s Cup Series visit to Watkins Glen on USA Network.

This is the fifth time this season that Nascar has dropped below two million viewers on a given race weekend, as well as being the Cup Series’ third-lowest audience of the year. It is also the series’ lowest audience recorded on USA Network since 1.03 million people watched Nascar’s 2023 visit to New Hampshire.

Last year’s visit to Watkins Glen took place in the playoffs, so a fair viewership comparison would be with the 2024 race in Michigan. That averaged 2.11 million viewers on USA Network, meaning this year’s race saw a 12.4 per cent viewership decrease.

With two races remaining in its regular season, the Nascar Cup Series is averaging 2.69 million viewers in 2025. For the rest of the year, including the playoffs, only four races will be shown on commercial television.

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Elsewhere, 708,000 people tuned in on Fox to see Alex Palou take his fourth IndyCar title in five years at Portland.

That continues IndyCar’s steady progress with its broadcast partner Fox, which recently took a one-third stake in the championship to underline its commitment.

While audiences may have not quite matched early-season expectations, no race in 2025 has fallen below 500,000 viewers – a benchmark not achieved in at least the past decade if maintained through the final two events.

The Indianapolis 500’s huge numbers lift IndyCar’s average to 1.23 million viewers. Excluding that race, the average is a more modest 814,000, trailing both 2023 and 2022.

Still, IndyCar and Fox can be encouraged by the solid base they’ve built, especially given the lack of title drama to entice casual viewers amid Palou’s unprecedented dominance.