Reports indicate that the latest Cup Series race in Talladega drew 3.127 million viewers on NBC and received a rating of 1.74. This turnout might fall short of expectations for NASCAR and the broadcaster, especially since Fox Sports pulled in approximately 4.303 million viewers for a regular season race. Nonetheless, it does mark a significant increase of 25% over the viewership last year.
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The surge positions the YellaWood 500 as the most-watched Cup Series playoff race since the 2022 championship and the most-viewed fall Talladega race since 2018. While the dramatic pile-up in the final stage likely contributed to the spike in viewership, fans believe that it was Ricky Stenhouse Jr. who saved the day amid controversies surrounding the damaged vehicle policy rules.
With Adam Stern reporting the television numbers on his X (formerly Twitter) handle, fans voiced their opinions on the race and the reasons behind its success. One remarked, “Remember where you were when Ricky Stenhouse saved NASCAR.” Another fan sarcastically noted, “But the Next Gen car is so bad, and NASCAR is at its worst spot ever because of it!! (sarcasm).”
Australian-American commentator Leigh Diffey only recently began calling races in the Cup Series full-time. His work immediately struck a chord with the fans and led an enthusiast to express, “Well it’s finally more exciting to watch now that we have someone like @leighdiffey calling the races!”
Remember where you were when Ricky Stenhouse saved NASCAR
— YG (@TREYFIVE35) October 8, 2024
Another thrilled fan optimistically added, “This is amazing news. I thought the race was really entertaining, especially with the increased intensity throughout the opening stages. NASCAR viewership will continue to rise in my opinion.” Many fingers are crossed hoping these words will turn out to be true.
The controversies surrounding the damaged vehicle policy after Talladega
NASCAR introduced the damaged vehicle policy in 2017 to keep cars that aren’t fit to race off the track. The aim was to prevent damaged and slow-moving cars from rejoining the fray after an accident. Under this rule, teams are given a tight window of seven minutes to patch up their cars in the pits. If a team manages to make the necessary repairs within this timeframe, its car can return to the race. If not, it is game over.
The same fate awaits those cars that have to be towed back to the garage as well. In Talladega this Sunday, over 25 cars were tangled in the final stage wreck and many of them had to be towed back to the pit road. Controversy arose when NASCAR allowed these cars to rejoin the race when the red flag came off.
The promotion’s decision has sparked debate over inconsistent rules. Defending Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney had not been allowed to join the race in Watkins Glen after his No. 12 Ford Mustang had to be towed to the garage. Neither was Josh Berry in Kansas after his No. 4 Ford Mustang had to be towed back owing to flat tires.
When the press sought clarification from NASCAR, Elton Sawyer, the VP of Competition, stepped up. He explained, “On the heels of last week at Kansas, our goal was never to put good cars out of the race. As we got looking at that and digesting it, we could tell that maybe we should have made a different call last week.”
“So, as we went into Talladega, we wanted to make sure that we erred on the side of the competitors.” He reassured fans that his team is committed to thoroughly reevaluating these policies during the off-season to ensure fairness and competitiveness in the sport. With TV viewership on the rise, the last thing Sawyer needs is his decision-making to come under serious question.
