NASCAR viewership numbers from last weekend’s race at Richmond Raceway reveal a worrying trend, as it was the fourth-lowest since 2020. The sport averaged 1.39 million viewers for the Cup Series race on Saturday night, a departure from the traditional Sunday race format that may have contributed to the drop in viewers.
A report states that compared to the race at Richmond last year, which attracted 2.22 million viewers, the viewership has dropped by 38%. Richmond marked the year’s second-to-last race, which experienced a 60% drop from last year’s penultimate round at Daytona International Speedway. This, despite NASCAR not clashing with any other form of motorsport on the same weekend. The 2025 NASCAR regular season averages 2.64 million viewers, the lowest regular season average ever recorded.
NASCAR’s popularity peaked in the early 2000s, but fell significantly after the 2008 economic crisis. NASCAR veteran Kyle Busch has acknowledged a decrease in the sport’s popularity by pointing to the drop in audience numbers at race venues. Newsweek Sports reported his comments:
“I think it’s a culture problem, and I say that in regard to the world culture. In the ’80s and ’90s, you had a bunch of Hot Rod guys who were cool with souping up their 1970s, 1980s street rods. A lot of those guys are aged out.
“I just think the problem we’re running into is there’s not a lot of race fans anymore. People would always bring their kids to the track, but now there are just so many other things people can do otherwise. Going to the lake, taking your kids to a bounce house.
“No offense, but we just stood outside, right? It’s 90-something degrees outside. Who wants to sit in metal bleachers under the sun for three hours? If you’re out there, God bless you. More power to you. I appreciate that. We need to do more for those people who are here and who give us their time and their money. But you’re not going to find me out there.”
NASCAR partnered with Netflix for two seasons of the NASCAR: Full Speed docuseries in an attempt to increase fan following, with Season 2 having been released in May 2025. Rumors also suggest that a Days of Thunder sequel is in the pipeline, starring Tom Cruise, which could help boost NASCAR’s popularity. However, the extent of its effects on the sport’s viewership is difficult to predict.
Related: Kyle Larson Blames Talladega Nights For Making NASCAR a ‘Joke’
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