NASCAR ratings Nov 5, 2023; Avondale, Arizona, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (right) is presented with the Bill France Cup from NASCAR president Steve Phelps after winning the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

NBC Sports touted ratings and viewership gains for the network’s NASCAR coverage in the 2023 season.

Straight from a press release by NBC Sports Group, the network boasted about gains in viewership on NBC, USA Network, Peacock, and NBC Sports Digital.

“The 2023 NASCAR Cup Series on NBC, USA Network, Peacock, and NBC Sports Digital delivered a Total Audience Delivery of 2.47 million viewers across 202 races, up vs. comparable coverage in 2022 (2.45 million viewers),” the network wrote.

NBC noted that 16 races in the 20-race season featured a total audience of at least two million viewers. This also was up from last season, which the network said was at 15 a year ago.

Furthermore, the network added that Xfinity Series coverage averaged over 1 million viewers. That’s the best mark they’ve seen since 2017, says NBC.

Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina, ranked as the top NASCAR markets in the 2023 season. NBC Sports said the networks scored a household rating of 3.9 each. Greenville, Knoxville, and Birmingham rounded out the Top 5 at 3.6, 3.5, and 2.7. Indianapolis fielded a rating of 2.6, while Dayton, Buffalo, and Raleigh-Durham scored 2.3. Norfolk and Richmond rounded things out with ratings of 2.1.

Recently, NBC’s Steve Letarte spoke to Awful Announcing. Letarte told AA that he thinks there’s “a lot of potential” to see NASCAR ratings rise again and potentially attract younger viewers. NBC’s ratings report on Tuesday seems to suggest that things are trending in the right direction.

[NBC Sports Group Press Box]

About Chris Novak

Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022