New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen became the first driver to win a race in his first NASCAR Cup Series start in 60 years when he won this past weekend’s street race on the Chicago Street Course in overtime.
NBC might have been an even bigger winner now that the TV ratings have been revealed.
Sunday’s race averaged a 2.5 rating and 4.63 million viewers, per Nielsen fast-nationals, giving NBC their biggest NASCAR audience since the 2017 season finale at Homestead-Miami, which garnered 4.66 million viewers. That number hit 4.8 million when you include 164,000 people watching on Peacock and the other NBC digital platforms.
Not counting the Daytona 500, it was the most-watched NASCAR race in over two years.
He beats the NASCAR guys at their own game! Shane van Gisbergen WINS on the streets of Chicago! The V8 Supercars champ wins in his debut and is the first Kiwi to win a #NASCAR race. pic.twitter.com/iywQttvojz
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) July 3, 2023
Per NBC, viewership peaked at 5.383 million TV viewers between 9:15 and 9:30 pm ET when van Gisbergen took the checkered flag.
Given that the race started late with a weather delay, which also led to a shorter race due to sunset, you have to wonder how much bigger the audience might have been had they been able to start on time.
It stands to reason that we’re going to see a lot more NASCAR street races in the near future. While NASCAR officials have admitted that they’re going to lose money on the Chicago race and it remains unclear if the city will want to host another one, there are bound to be other cities happy to for the kind of exposure received this past weekend.
[NBC Press Box, Sports Media Watch]
