The 2024 Daytona 500 was shifted from Sunday to Monday thanks to inclement weather, and viewership for the race took a substantial hit.
Per Sports Media Watch, the Daytona 500 averaged 5.96 million viewers. That’s the second-least-watched edition of the race ever, ahead of just the 2021 race. That race averaged just 4.91 million viewers and featured a lengthy rain delay.
Last year’s race averaged 8.17 million viewers, taking place as usual on Sunday.
This was the third Daytona 500 to mostly take place on a Monday. 2012’s race aired in primetime and averaged 13.67 million viewers. 2020’s averaged 7.03 million viewers.
I really don’t think you can draw many (if any) conclusions about the overall number, given the scheduling switch. Neither Fox nor NASCAR can control the weather, and per SMW, viewership was up single digits for Daytona Speedweeks content on FS1 during the week.
NASCAR and Fox have had bad luck with the weather this year. In addition to the Daytona postponement, the Clash at the Coliseum was moved from Sunday to Saturday earlier in February, resulting in a two-decade low for the event.
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.