NASCAR entered the 2023 season with some momentum after the first year of the NextGen car. In fact, the NASCAR Cup Series had the strongest season regarding viewership since 2018. However, the new campaign didn’t go as expected for the sport as viewership dipped at one of the most important times due to the negotiations for a new TV deal.
Compared to the 2022 season, NASCAR’s viewership decreased by roughly 4.3% for the 38-race schedule. When only including the 36 points paying event, the sport’s viewership decreased by 3.7% compared to last year. Overall, the Cup Series only had 10 of 38 races with an increase in viewership.
Yet, it wasn’t entirely NASCAR’s fault. Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott missed seven races due to injury and suspension. Over those seven races, viewership was down a stunning 18.2% compared to the 2022 season. When removing the race at Richmond Raceway (FOX in 2022, FS1 in 2023), that number was only at 14.2% due to the network change (all calculations were made by the author).
THE CHAMPION IS HERE!
Repost to congratulate @Blaney on his first Cup championship! pic.twitter.com/R7r0Qz9M4B
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) November 5, 2023
NASCAR is nearing the end of the process for the new TV deal so this didn’t come at the right time. If not for Elliott missing seven races, the sport would have seen much better results as the Hendrick Motorsports driver also missed the 2023 playoffs. The numbers don’t lie. NASCAR missed having Elliott behind the wheel of the No. 9 car.
What does the future look like for NASCAR in terms of viewership? It is not as gloomy as people make it out to be right now. The sport suffered some unfortunate events that hampered its success but there will be ups and downs along the way. Sure, there is no doubt that NASCAR struggled during the playoffs but the 2024 season will be a nice reset for the sport.
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