FOX has been touting the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season to date as the "best ever." Sorry, I'd give that honor to 1992 and wouldn't even provide 2021 to date a spot on my top-10 list of modern-era. NASCARs viewership continues to fall after the ratings for last weekends race at Auto Club Speedway were released on Tuesday morning. Jerseyball Millvilles Mike Trout and Aaron Cox, Precision Pistol Shooting For Greatness, The Power of Fun Dave Raymond, The Original Phillie Phanatic, Being Relentless The HEADstrong Foundation, Surviving Until Tuesday Sergeant Andrew Einstein. Along with that came an all-important metric: the Nielsen ratings. These fans would attend a race, then go sightseeing around the town so as to make the trip more worthwhile and as a result, even more money is required to be put in the budget in order to cover the costs for a dew days hotel stay. Jimmie won a lot. It was the first time in a while where we didn't have a decline on NBC. I think thats some pretty solid footing.. Overall, NASCAR brought in 114.231 million average viewers throughout the entire 2022 season which marks its best since the 2018 season (120.454 million average viewers). Its possible that the most popular driver not performing well hurt the sport, given the sports fan demographic. You couldnt entirely blame NASCAR for no longer holding events in places like North Wilkesboro or Rockingham or even Darlington, which lost a race on the schedule for several years. The household share was up 9% compared to 2022 and represented the largest share for the second race of the season since 2017. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images). Mike Joy is an outstanding announcer, and it was never a big deal for a fan to mute Darrell Waltrips exponentially annoying boogity boogity boogity! at the green flag. Their retirements are a reason for the ratings decline in 2018. Dover is a 1-mile track, and 11 laps does not take long. Those numbers of course, dont tell the entire story. After sweeping claims of a toxic work environment throughout 2020, the star and her show have been scrambling to make things right. Three of the four drivers in the championship race were also in the 2018 race, and three of the four drivers were in Toyotas. With fewer fans at the track, you might think TV ratings would continue to rise and maybe even increase as those fans turned on the TV instead of spending money to go to the track. NASCAR teams get creative with sponsors following dip in ratings, attendance Rick Hendrick is seeking a new sponsor for Jimmie Johnson amid the departure of Lowe's. Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images That would have a big effect on viewership overall. Maybe there is a segment of fans who tune in for death-defying calamities, but that has always been a part of the sport and still is. It makes a world of difference watching on TV. [Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 11.9, network PR]. In response to its rapidly growing popularity nationwide, NASCAR moved away from the Southeast fans who brought the sport to the dance, and began holding races in places like Vegas, Chicago and Los Angeles. As Ive said, the sport is finally addressing its venue problem. Statistics for NASCAR indicate that63% are male, 20% are minorities and 47% are between the ages of 18 and 44, with the majority of this age bracket being in the older end, the number of which is also dropping yearly. Last years season-opener at Barber only averaged 914 thousand viewers which is almost an extra 500 thousand. NASCAR's social media channels have piled up nearly 2 billion social impressions (the number of times its content was viewed) and more than 92 million fan engagements (retweets, likes, shares). or Disney plus; there's more competition for those eyeballs then there's ever been. The IndyCar race at St. Petersberg averaged 1.405 million viewers on Sunday. I have been around and covered NASCAR for over two decades. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Best Running / CC BY Photo credit: Darryl W. Moran Photography on Visual Hunt / CC BY-ND In todays world TV ratings arent the big deal they once were nor the only thing that matters. Just ten years later, there were 13 such eventsnearly half the schedule. This is all just ultimately my opinion, but its a carefully considered one. NBC reported Monday that its broadcast of the NASCAR Cup championship race from Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida drew an average of 3.759 million viewers, its best audience for its half of the season. No longer will teams win titles by dominating speedways; driver skill will be more of a factor, as it should be. But for whatever reason, Junior not only didnt measure up to his fathers formidable reputation, he rarely even established himself as a contender. The Patriots domination was great for the NFL. That doesnt mean they dont have talent, or arent brave. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Best Running / CC BY This is a BETA experience. This is convenient if the city where a follower lives in has a track, but for those that live a long distance from NASCAR venues, the cost to go to watch them is gradually becoming more expensive due to the continually rising prices of fuel. Related:15 Rules Every NASCAR Employee Has To Follow. NASCAR TV ratings were once the darlings of the sport. The season averaged 2.866 million sans-Daytona, down 1% from last year (2.91M) and a fraction of a percent from 19 (2.871M). However, NASCAR has been taking major strides as the on-track product is improving, the schedule is being changed, bold decisions are being made, and communication between each party is better. It would have been nice to have heard more during the championship race from Earnhardt. No longer could a late-model driver from Syracuse or Spokane get a car and a team together and show up to try to qualify for any of NASCARs races. The future of IndyCar seems to be brighter when it comes to younger people. For NASCAR it meant fewer butts in seats at tracks, and fewer sponsors willing to part with what little revenue they were earning. Bookmark this page for NASCAR ratings as another year of racing is officially underway! The last race at. NASCAR was at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend and if I was NASCAR, I would be embarrassed. Karlo watched a lot of Mcgyver back in the 90's and grew up trying to be a Mr. fixit/jack of all trades. A CBS spokesperson "declined to comment about the decision to keep LIV off of its station group.". The rise of social media as a tool, pastime, or source of information and entertainment has certainly affected most sports, NASCAR included. OK, here we go. Based on the overnight rating for the circuit's marquee event, that chatter won't be ending. Photo credit: sidehike on Visual hunt / CC BY-SA winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. We all know what Im talking about. So NASCAR racing has become just like European formula-car racing and IndyCar racing in North America. The presidential and general elections, which need to be held no later than June 18, come at a tough time for Erdogan who has seen a decline in his ratings because of skyrocketing inflation. Its certainly healthy in terms of eyeballs, Hebrst said. But experts say the reasons are multitude. Or at least to give the appearance of it. Photo credit: eliduke on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA Below, we take a look at the NASCAR ratings over the course of the 2023 season with an up-to-date analysis of each event. This brought even more attention and money to the sport and school was soon out. It took quite a few years of longtime fans bitching about that, but NASCAR did finally move the Labor Day Southern 500 back to Darlington. LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 14: (L-R) Brian Herbst, NASCAR managing director, broadcasting, Scott Warfield, NASCAR managing director, social and digital content, Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Team Penske Ford Fusion, Jill Gregory, NASCAR senior vice president and chief marketing officer and Laura Froelich, Twitter global head of sports partnerships, pose for a photo after NASCAR announces plans to live-stream in-car cameras on Twitter for the 2018 season on March 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. The sport mishandled the on-track racing by introducing the 550 horsepower package which caused the fanbase to lose trust. The problem was the tracks that replaced themnearly all of them were characterless, cookie-cutter speedways where aero package ruled the day. Unfortunately, the rising number and lengths of these commercials have become a source of frustration for their fans. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season averaged 2.93 million viewers across FOX, FS1, NBC and NBCSN, down 4% from last year (3.06M), down 6% from 2019 (3.11M) and the least-watched season on record. The #48 team should have been a gold mine. It may seem good on the surface, but theres more beneath that makes this concerning. Keep in mind that excludes the Monday rainout at Talladega. So that's household using televisions. Compared to NASCARs 18-49 demographic, IndyCar has an average of 24%, while they are at 20.1%. As streaming services provide instant entertainment whileNASCARhas scheduled andlengthy race events,thecomparison is similar toordering drive-thru (cheap and convenient) versusdining at a fine restaurant (pricier and takes longer before you can eat). In a piece published in the Athletic last week, Ethan Strauss reported that the ratings for network NBA broadcasts have declined by 45 percent since 2011-12. The XFL's ratings were disappointing in Week One. And I said all that without even bringing up that profoundly irritating cartoon gopher. It has been a challenge for the sport to consistently grab the attention of its audience; however, there are reasons for optimism as the 2022 season represented a step in the right direction. The XFL's ratings were disappointing in Week One. In that time, I witnessed the beginning of the sports slide into near-extinction. Q: You say NASCAR continues to grow and like you, . Ill never forget seeing Elliott Sadlers terrifying end-over-end crash at Talladega in 2003 and seeing it again in every single ad for Talladega races for the next 3-4 years. The broadcasts really were over-saturated with ads enough to drive fans away. Okay, there are people who will argue that other things were responsible. While the 2023 NASCAR season kicked off Sunday with Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. racing his way into the May 21 NASCAR All-Star Race, North Wilkesboro Speedway construction crews are . Compared to last years fourth race of the season, Phoenix, ratings fell a tick (from 2.7) and viewership 5% (from 4.58M). By virtue of his fathers untimely passing, Dale Earnhardt Jr. instantly found himself with a larger fan base than any three drivers in NASCAR. Next:10 NASCAR Drivers With The Most Wins (& How Much They Won). NASCAR did (and still does) market the possibility of spectacular wrecks. The coverage goes through the entire event. Elliott is a great driver and a likable kid, and he doesnt take any craphe doesnt shy away from wrecking a driver like Denny Hamlin if the situation called for it. When NASCAR first started, you had a bunch of good ol boys who worked blue-collar jobs, usually in garages, and gottheir hands dirty and went racing at local speedways on the weekend and, if they were any good, developed a following. For any fan that needs racing to be dangerous, there are still four restrictor plate races on the schedule. Since earning a 7.7 rating and 13. IndyCar is seeing huge success as an open-wheel Motorsport, just like Formula 1. As a result, teams with more resourcessuch as Hendrick Motorsports and Roush Racingwon big for years. But that in itself wasnt necessarily the crime. But more importantly, the racing isnt anywhere near as exciting at the cookie cutters, as I so eloquently explained here. NASCAR has managed to hang on to lucrative TV contracts despite its ratings decline. Nielsen slowly began to develop ways to measure who was watching what, and how. https://t.co/Zf4L7g5im4 Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) July 10, 2018 However, sources said that it is "likely because of the network's longstanding relationship" with the PGA Tour. [Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 3.9]. Longtime, big-name sponsors are leaving the sport while. Oxford Gold . They wouldn't explain ratings declines from 2016 to 2017. But in a relatively short time, NASCAR corrected the car and the multiple issues with its design, and while the cars dont differ by manufacturer like they once did, at least were not seeing disastrously awful races just because of the cars construction. Where . There are still 11 races on intermediate tracks, but its finally moving in the right direction. Top Speed offers daily industry news and reviews on cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Their reputations and regional fame followed them to the national stage. NASCAR still attempts to do the best it can when it comes to getting the word out. Now, they buy their way in. A fairly new challenge that spectator sports now have to contend with is the rise of the various streaming services that offer varied content that is available across a variety of platforms. Racing is still pretty danged dangerous. Photo credit: royal_broil on Best Running / CC BY-SA Should there be concerns with the current trend of viewership? Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. The television ratings for sports in 2020 reflect the poll results and the frustration many feel toward the constant sloganeering and political pandering. A Former Reporters Thoughts, Copyright 2023 A Great Number of Things. By: GP Racing. Statistics for NASCAR indicate that 63% are male, 20% are minorities and 47% are between the ages of 18 and 44, with the majority of this age bracket being in the older end, the number of which is also dropping yearly. News. Compared to Week 2 of last year's USFL, which consisted of two games on broadcast and two on cable, the XFL's Week 2 audience was down just slightly (661K to 655K). Then they sharply declined in Week Two. Related: NASCAR ratings on big rise compared to recent years in 2022. I remember watching it and literally wondering if I was going to see the finish of the race. In the late '90s and the early 2000s, NASCAR saw an unprecedented growth in popularity and TV ratings. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA Its not often noticed, but it was definitely noticed by Jeff Gordon fans: had NASCAR not implemented the Chase, the driver of the iconic #24 could have been the one standing aside Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty today with seven titles, instead of his protg Jimmie Johnson. (Busch would have still won.). Last years Xfinity race at the track aired on FS2 and had a 0.21 and 341,000. NASCAR's TV ratings began to fall; the once all-mighty numbers began to show not an increase, but a decline. People do not want to watch numerous full-screen commercials while green-flag racing is taking place. HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, celebrates after [+] winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. In fact, Nascar could just dump it all on Netflix - which, according to one study, is responsible for half the decline of TV viewership alone. Brandon Kochkodin. That. A shot that shows the overall value sponsors receive. 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