NASCAR‘s return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval scored significant television ratings gains.
This was despite competition from United States president Joe Biden announcing that he was dropping out of the presidential race, forcing the broadcast to shift multiple times from NBC to USA.
According to Sports Media Watch, the Brickyard 400 averaged a 2.1 rating and 3.63 million viewers on NBC. That was good for a 26 percent increase in ratings and 28 percent increase in viewership from last year (1.7, 2.84). The final 30 minutes aired on USA Network, starting at 6 p.m. ET and averaged 1.3 and 2.34 million anyway.
NASCAR had not run the oval configuration since the 2020 season, instead racing on the infield parking lot, and fans reacted positively to the return of a crown jewel. Kyle Larson won the race and added Indianapolis to his vast resume.
These were the highest ratings for NASCAR at Indianapolis since that last oval race in 2020.
