NASCAR Says Atlanta Race Was Headed for Major Ratings Before Rain Changed Everything

The final television audience for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway doesn’t tell the whole story.

Ryan Blaney’s dramatic victory in the Quaker State 400 Available at Walmart averaged 1.5 million viewers on TNT Sports after a lengthy rain delay pushed the event into the early hours of Monday morning. On paper, the number falls short of what many expected.

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But NASCAR’s television partner says the race was tracking toward a much different outcome before weather interrupted the broadcast.

TNT says Atlanta race was on pace for 2.4 million viewers

According to TNT Sports, the race was averaging a pace of approximately 2.4 million viewers before heavy rain halted the event midway through the opening stage.

The nearly three-hour delay forced the race to resume after midnight on the East Coast, dramatically changing viewing patterns before Blaney ultimately held off Christopher Bell, Bubba Wallace and Carson Hocevar in one of the season’s wildest finishes.

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The final average settled at 1.5 million viewers.

Interestingly, last year’s summer race at EchoPark Speedway also experienced a weather delay and averaged roughly 1.6 million viewers, putting this year’s audience almost exactly in line despite the unusual circumstances.

NASCAR’s weekend still delivered several strong television numbers

While Sunday’s Cup race was heavily impacted by weather, NASCAR’s other national broadcasts produced encouraging results.

Saturday night’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race from EchoPark Speedway drew 1.011 million viewers on The CW as Justin Allgaier claimed a double-overtime victory.

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The network also shared several notable milestones:

• The most-watched EchoPark Speedway summer race in five years, dating back to the 2021 NBC Sports broadcast.

• A 4% increase over last year’s comparable summer race weekend from Sonoma.

• A peak audience of 1.072 million viewers between 10:15 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. ET.

Meanwhile, Saturday afternoon’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Lime Rock Park averaged 522,000 viewers on FS1.

NASCAR heads to North Wilkesboro next

With Atlanta now complete, NASCAR shifts its focus to North Wilkesboro Speedway, where the inaugural In-Season Challenge champion will be crowned this weekend.

The event gives TNT another opportunity to build on what appeared to be strong viewer momentum before weather interrupted Sunday’s broadcast.

If Atlanta’s pre-delay audience pace is any indication, NASCAR’s summer television package continues to generate significant interest, even if Mother Nature prevented the final ratings from reflecting it.