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The NASCAR Cup Series’ long-awaited return to Chicagoland Speedway delivered more than an exciting race. It also drew a healthy television audience.
According to Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern, Sunday’s Cup Series race on TNT Sports averaged 2.1 million viewers. It marked NASCAR’s first Cup event at Chicagoland since 2019 and outperformed the previous week’s Sonoma Raceway broadcast on the network.
While the number fell just shy of Prime Video’s average audience during its five-race Cup Series schedule earlier this season, it continued a solid stretch of television numbers as NASCAR heads into the second half of the regular season.
The 2.1 million average viewers represented a noticeable increase from the 1.8 million who watched the Sonoma race on TNT Sports the previous weekend. That gain came despite Chicagoland not hosting a Cup Series race since 2019, when NASCAR removed the 1.5-mile Illinois oval from the schedule.
The return had generated considerable buzz throughout the weekend. Fans packed the grandstands, and the race itself produced plenty of action as drivers adjusted to a track that many in the current field had either never raced or had limited experience competing on.
Although the audience came in just below Prime Video’s five-race average of 2.29 million viewers earlier this season, the Chicagoland number remained one of the stronger cable audiences of the summer and reinforced interest in NASCAR’s return to the historic venue.
The strong television audience arrives as NASCAR prepares for another drafting-style intermediate track at EchoPark Speedway this weekend.
With seven races remaining before the Chase begins, the battle for the regular-season championship continues to tighten. Tyler Reddick enters the weekend atop the standings, while Denny Hamlin remains within striking distance after one of the strongest seasons of his career.
Whether Chicagoland earns a longer-term place on the Cup Series calendar remains to be seen. However, if television viewership is any indication, NASCAR’s return to the Illinois speedway attracted plenty of attention from fans eager to see the series back at one of its former staple tracks.
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According to Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stern, Sunday’s Cup Series race on TNT Sports averaged 2.1 million viewers. It marked NASCAR’s first Cup event at Chicagoland since 2019 and outperformed the previous week’s Sonoma Raceway broadcast on the network.
While the number fell just shy of Prime Video’s average audience during its five-race Cup Series schedule earlier this season, it continued a solid stretch of television numbers as NASCAR heads into the second half of the regular season.
Chicagoland return outperformed the previous week’s race
The 2.1 million average viewers represented a noticeable increase from the 1.8 million who watched the Sonoma race on TNT Sports the previous weekend. That gain came despite Chicagoland not hosting a Cup Series race since 2019, when NASCAR removed the 1.5-mile Illinois oval from the schedule.
The return had generated considerable buzz throughout the weekend. Fans packed the grandstands, and the race itself produced plenty of action as drivers adjusted to a track that many in the current field had either never raced or had limited experience competing on.
Although the audience came in just below Prime Video’s five-race average of 2.29 million viewers earlier this season, the Chicagoland number remained one of the stronger cable audiences of the summer and reinforced interest in NASCAR’s return to the historic venue.
NASCAR heads from Chicagoland to EchoPark Speedway
The strong television audience arrives as NASCAR prepares for another drafting-style intermediate track at EchoPark Speedway this weekend.
With seven races remaining before the Chase begins, the battle for the regular-season championship continues to tighten. Tyler Reddick enters the weekend atop the standings, while Denny Hamlin remains within striking distance after one of the strongest seasons of his career.
Whether Chicagoland earns a longer-term place on the Cup Series calendar remains to be seen. However, if television viewership is any indication, NASCAR’s return to the Illinois speedway attracted plenty of attention from fans eager to see the series back at one of its former staple tracks.
Continue reading...
