One of the most glamorous nights of NASCAR, the All-Star race, has had a reputation for its sold-out stands and peak viewership as fans gather around to watch their favorites battle it out to win the $1 million paycheck. But this time, something was off. What was meant to be one of the most electrifying nights in NASCAR’s 2025 season has instead left key stakeholders facing difficult situations.
The All-Star race at North Wilkesboro Speedway delivered a spectacle on track with dramatic overtakes, improved strategies, and a fierce battle between Joey Logano and Christopher Bell, with the latter dominating en route to the $1 million prize money. But despite a night filled with action, the event failed to capture significant viewership on FOX, raising concerns about NASCAR’s ability to convert the drama on the field to a broadcast success.
Ratings Fall Flat for NASCAR’s Premier Exhibition Event
Adam Stern from Sports Business Journal shared the ratings and numbers for the All-Star race. And sadly, it didn’t even come close to matching last year’s count. “.@FS1 earned 1.965 million viewers for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, down from 2.573 million last year.” Stern shared on X. It is indeed a huge shocker given how good the racing was, but the race being on FS1 and not on FOX could’ve played a part in it.
For all the short track enthusiasts, this arguably was the best short track racing they had seen in a while. Even the winner, Christopher Bell, couldn’t contain his excitement, and his post-race comments pushed the conversation about North Wilkesboro deserving a points race. “North Wilkesboro, how about that one? That right there was absolutely incredible. North Wilkesboro is the best short track on the schedule. Let’s go.” But some factors were beyond NASCAR’s control that might have led to this dip in viewership.
.@FS1 earned 1.965 million viewers for Sunday’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, down from 2.573 million last year. pic.twitter.com/bufrdr9izT
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) May 20, 2025
Not to forget the start time, which was set at 8:00 pm, this was not even a points race, so fans had little incentive to tune into the race that meant something. It is tough to attract fans to watch a race on a short track. The Bristol spring race also took a major hit in terms of views, it could only bring in 2.054 million viewers. It has to be noted that a lot of NASCAR races had to be shifted to FS1. It seems like even the promoter’s caution, the firework antics, and Michael Waltrips’ shenanigans weren’t enough to lure in the viewers.
Not just NASCAR, even IndyCar didn’t fare well with their numbers on Big FOX. Despite all the controversy and drama that has sent waves across the paddock, FOX numbers aren’t encouraging, especially when compared to last year.
Team Penske controversy didn’t help Indy 500 qualifying
There was a lot of hype when FOX took over the broadcasting duties from NBC before the start of the 2025 season. They did start on a positive note as the opening race in St. Petersburg averaged 1.417 million viewers, which was the highest for a non-Indy 500 race since 2011. Not to forget, those captivating commercials FOX made for Josef Newgarden and Alex Palou, they certainly were putting the IndyCar series on the map in front of the right audience. But, just when it mattered the most, they drew blanks.
Despite the qualifying coverage being on the Big FOX, IndyCar could only attract 924,000 viewers on Sunday’s Indy 500 qualifying. This was down from 1.145 million viewers last year on NBC. It looks like controversy and penalties to Team Penske didn’t exactly lead to big numbers. Another factor that could’ve worked here is Kyle Larson unable to race for the pole and settling for a 21st place starting place on the grid.
Both NASCAR and IndyCar will have opportunities to turn this around. NASCAR will be back with the Coca-Cola 600 on Amazon Prime, while FOX will look to make a splash with the Indy 500 this Sunday.
The post Roger Penske & NASCAR Face Losses as All-Star Thriller Fails to Get Clout on FOX appeared first on EssentiallySports.