NASCAR’s TV problem is getting harder to ignore. Viewership has slipped all season, with the Cup Series down more than 13 percent from last year and playoff races off by nearly 17 percent. Even New Hampshire, which packed the grandstands for its postseason stop, could not escape the trend. That set the stage for a ratings update that left fans frustrated at the NASCAR Cup Series when the numbers went public.
The issue hits at the heart of NASCAR’s visibility. Last year’s numbers were very different for the playoff races. Those were healthy, middle-of-the-road numbers for a sport that still leans heavily on broadcast exposure. Heading into this fall, though, there was already concern about softer results. Some races bounced to cable and even Amazon Prime amid the return of NFL games. This is partly why the New Hampshire figures drastically dropped. Despite this reality, fans didn’t hold back from questioning where the sport is headed.
That update came from Sports Business Journal reporter Adam Stern, who wrote on X. “.@USANetwork got a 0.70 rating and 1.29 million viewers for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race @NHMS, down from a 1.0 rating and 1.88 million viewers for last year’s race at the same track and from a 0.96 rating and 1.79 million for last year’s fourth playoff race at Kansas.”
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Losing nearly 600,000 viewers compared to the same race in 2024 is a steep hit. In fact, a 0.70 rating makes it one of the weakest playoff showings in recent years. That’s a tough pill to swallow for NASCAR when the stands in Loudon were sold out.
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The fallout has been immediate. On Reddit and Twitter, fans have called the numbers “pitiful”. They have debated whether NASCAR’s broadcast plan is pushing casual viewers away. Some point to the overlap with NFL Sundays, others to confusion over where each race is airing.
Whatever the reason, the message from New Hampshire is clear. Local passion is alive, but the national TV audience is slipping. That disconnect has the NASCAR community worried about what comes next.
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The first reaction cut straight to the numbers. A 30 percent drop in audience year-over-year is staggering for any sport. However, in NASCAR’s case, it comes during the playoffs. This is traditionally when viewership is supposed to spike. One fan summed it up simply. “30% drop in viewership is one year is…….. no bueno.” That frustration reflected how abnormal the decline felt. For a while, there’s been concern that NASCAR may be losing its national audience at a rate too steep to be seasonal fluctuation.
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Others pointed to shifting habits in how people consume sports. Traditional cable has seen steep losses in subscribers. Moreover, NASCAR’s reliance on USA Network and FS1 for key races has left many potential viewers out of reach. One fan highlighted this issue.“I keep saying it but anyone under the age of 49 isn’t paying for traditional cable anymore. Everyone is streaming or just straight up not watching.”
This showed a widening gap between NASCAR’s broadcast partners and younger audiences. The new fans increasingly expect to stream their sports content rather than flip to a cable channel.
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The NFL’s dominance on Sunday afternoons also came up. Competing directly with pro football has long been a challenge for NASCAR. This year’s sharp playoff decline added fuel to that argument. As one fan put it, “Holy shit that’s brutal. I know the NFL is a juggernaut you’ll never win against but I wonder what is really driving the sharp decline.” While football explains some of the losses, there’s more to the matter. The blunt question is about what else is driving fans away and the structural issues with NASCAR’s current TV model.
Not every comment dug into the causes. Some simply reacted to the scale of the decline. One fan captured the shock in plain terms. “Oof. That’s really bad, no way around it.” These kinds of comments highlight the perception problem NASCAR now faces. Even if executives point to long-term trends across cable sports, the headlines and fan sentiment lock onto the “bad” side of the story. This makes it harder to shape a positive narrative.
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Another fan emphasized the need for NASCAR to lean more heavily into streaming. This is especially since its media partners are already building out those platforms. Their comment read, “Cable TV as a concept is dying. Every NBC-affiliated race needs to be on Peacock.” The suggestion reflects a broader sentiment. NASCAR has tried to cater to a younger audience, but the sport risks alienating future fans if it clings to cable. For many, expanding the streaming presence is not just a preference but a survival strategy.
Finally, one fan admitted to being part of the problem, albeit for positive reasons. They wrote, “Sorry for not doing my part, I decided to go in person.” This remark shed light upon the paradox of New Hampshire Motor Speedway. After all, the track sold out, proving strong local passion. However, those same fans no longer counted toward TV totals. The problem is, a healthy attendance and weak broadcast numbers can coexist, creating a complex picture for NASCAR’s future.
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Taken together, the fan reactions reveal a layered story. Some blame cable’s decline. Others point to the NFL, and some simply lament the optics of losing nearly a third of the audience in a single year. While the Loudon crowd showed the sport’s in-person strength, the ratings fallout stirred worry across social platforms. For NASCAR, the challenge is now to bridge the growing gap between loyal trackside fans and a national audience.