NASCAR Cup Series Sees Significant Viewership Decline in 2025 Amidst Strategic Broadcast Shifts

The NASCAR Cup Series experienced a notable 14 percent decrease in average television ratings for the 2025 season, a trend largely anticipated by the sport’s leadership due to a significant shift in broadcast distribution. This strategic move saw a greater proportion of races migrate from over-the-air broadcast networks to cable channels and, for the first time, to a major streaming platform.

The season culminated with the championship race at Phoenix Raceway, which garnered 2.77 million viewers on NBC. This figure represents a dip from the 2.9 million viewers who tuned in for the 2024 championship race. Looking at overall season averages, the 2024 Cup Series averaged 2.892 million viewers, a modest one percent increase from the 2023 season. The 2025 season, however, concluded with an average viewership of 2.476 million.

NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps acknowledged these figures during a recent "State of the Sport" press conference, attributing the decline to a deliberate recalibration of the broadcast strategy. "When the season started, because of the distribution changes to be less broadcast heavy and more cable heavy and streaming, we knew we were going to have a reset," Phelps stated. He elaborated that internal projections had forecast this reset to result in a viewership decrease of between 14 and 15 percent for the Cup Series.

Despite the overall decline, Phelps expressed optimism regarding the integration of Amazon’s Prime Sports into the broadcast schedule. Five Cup Series races aired on the streaming platform, drawing an average of 2.16 million viewers. This segment of the schedule was met with positive reception from fans and contributed to the sport’s evolving media landscape. "Everyone just raised their game," Phelps remarked. "Amazon’s production was tremendous. Turner Sports was tremendous. NBC already had a high bar, right? The Turner numbers were slightly softer than we thought they would be, slightly, but in line with the projections."

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The races broadcast on USA Network, however, consistently struggled to surpass the one million viewer mark. Phelps addressed this aspect, noting, "I would say the cable portion of the NBC package has been a little softer than we had expected." He expressed confidence in a rebound for races on the main NBC channel, anticipating a "decent rating" for the upcoming Sunday broadcast.

Looking ahead, Phelps articulated a forward-looking perspective, emphasizing NASCAR’s commitment to growth. "The expectation moving forward, now that we have had the reset, is that we are going to grow," he asserted. "We’re going to grow because we have the best racing in the world, our stars are going to be more out there, we’re creating better content, all the things that make fandom." He reiterated a lack of concern regarding the current ratings, framing them as precisely within the sport’s predicted parameters.

Team owner Brad Keselowski echoed the sentiment of a transitional period, acknowledging the industry’s awareness of potential viewership shifts. "I think NASCAR and everyone in the industry knew there would be some transition, but we didn’t know what it would be," Keselowski told Motorsport.com. "I think we knew there would be a transition with the viewership habits of our fans." He expressed pleasant surprise at the performance of Amazon and other streaming races, while voicing disappointment with the viewership on cable. "I will tell you I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of Amazon and streaming races. Conversely, I was disappointed in the races we had on cable and broadcast has done what we thought it would do. I guess we’re fixed on this for the next six years so we’ll have to make the most of it."

In contrast to the Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series demonstrated a positive trend, achieving its strongest television ratings in four years. This success is largely attributed to the strategic decision to broadcast every Xfinity race on The CW Network, a broadcast television platform. The series averaged over one million viewers throughout the 2025 season, with an exact figure of 1,034,000, representing a significant 10 percent increase from its previous year’s performance on FS1 and USA Network. The Xfinity season finale on Saturday drew an impressive 1,015,000 viewers, a notable accomplishment considering it competed directly with college football and Game 7 of the World Series on FOX.

Phelps lauded the Xfinity Series’ broadcast strategy. "We also told them we probably have a double-digit increase in Xfinity," Phelps stated. He also provided context for the Truck Series’ performance, indicating that its ratings remained relatively stable due to consistent distribution primarily on FS1 with some races on FOX.

Regarding the overall season, Phelps reiterated that the Cup Series ratings were down 14 percent, precisely as predicted. He highlighted the strength of the FOX portion of the season in terms of ratings. "I think that Xfinity exceeded a lot of kind of experts’ opinions about what their audience would be. We surmised that the audience makeup of Amazon would be younger, and it was by about six years. Then the production value that FOX and NBC have had traditionally, amazing."

The shift in broadcast distribution marks a pivotal moment for NASCAR, signaling an adaptation to evolving media consumption habits. While the Cup Series faces a period of adjustment, the Xfinity Series’ success offers a promising indicator of the potential for growth within different broadcast models. The sport’s leadership remains focused on leveraging these changes to foster long-term fan engagement and viewership expansion.

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