After Talladega captured significant attention as the most-watched playoff race since the 2022 finale, drawing an average of 3.127 million viewers, last weekend’s Charlotte Roval race has now emerged as the most-viewed Roval event since 2021.
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According to sports journalist Jordan Bianchi from The Athletic, the race, which saw Kyle Larson secure his sixth win of the season, attracted an average of “1.35 household rating with an average of 2.42 million viewers.” He also mentioned that the overalls for the six playoff races so far have been up by six percent.
According to Frontstretch, last year’s Charlotte Roval race attracted 2.28 million viewers, a slight decline from the 2.39 million in 2022, which had earned a 1.46 rating for NBC.
Fans have been speculating about what might be influencing these ratings. One fan pointed out, “Nascar Netflix worked. I know they are doing it again this year but hope it continues for years to come. Basically, Nascar version of F1 Drive to survive.”
Another fan admitted, “That was a good race, anyone who says otherwise just doesn’t like road courses… and this is coming from a perennial ROVAL hater.”
Another enthusiast praised the broadcasting team for their role in the ratings spike, saying, “This is what good production does. NBC and Leigh Diffey are the cause for this.” And yet another viewer summed it up simply with, “It was a good race too! nice.”
Per NASCAR, Sunday's playoff race at the Roval had a 1.35 household rating with an average of 2.42 million viewers. This marks the most-watched Roval race since 2021. For the six playoff races overall in 2024, ratings are up 6 percent year-over-year.
— Jordan Bianchi (@Jordan_Bianchi) October 15, 2024
NASCAR’s most-watched races over the years
According to Jayski’s statistics, NASCAR on NBC hit a primetime viewership peak during the Pepsi 400 race in 2001, drawing a massive audience of 25 million viewers, while the Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 15, 2001, attracted 21 million viewers. Shortly thereafter, the Brickyard 400 pulled in 20 million viewers.
Another standout in terms of viewership was the 2006 Daytona 500, which captivated 19.4 million American viewers. However, the record for the highest-rated NASCAR race belongs to the 1979 Daytona 500, achieving a 12.9 rating. The last time a NASCAR race breached the 15 million viewer mark was in the 2013 Daytona 500 race.
While Netflix has certainly helped rejuvenate some of the viewership, it’s yet to be seen whether NASCAR can match or surpass the viewership heights of 2001 ever again.
