Phoenix Doubleheader Delivers Strong TV Ratings
A rare weekend doubleheader featuring both the NASCAR Cup Series and the IndyCar Series at Phoenix Raceway has proven to be a television success, with both championships reporting encouraging viewing figures across multiple networks.
The collaborative scheduling of the two major American motorsport categories created a packed weekend of racing in Arizona and appears to have generated increased interest from fans tuning in across the United States.
NASCAR Cup Race Sees Slight Increase
Sunday’s Cup Series race, broadcast on Fox Sports 1, attracted an average audience of 2.841 million viewers. The figure represents a modest improvement over the 2.82 million viewers who watched the equivalent race in the same broadcast window in 2025.
Viewership surged during the dramatic closing stages, peaking at 3.516 million viewers between 7:00pm and 7:15pm ET as Ryan Blaney held off a late charge from Christopher Bell during the final ten laps.
Although the increase was relatively small, broadcasters and organisers regard the upward trend as a positive sign, particularly given the highly competitive sports television landscape.
IndyCar Enjoys Major Viewership Surge
The biggest ratings success of the weekend came from IndyCar’s Saturday night race, broadcast on the main Fox Broadcasting Company network. The race drew 1.247 million viewers, representing a 77 per cent increase compared with last year’s second race of the season, which was held at The Thermal Club and attracted 704,000 viewers.
Although the events differ in location and format, the comparison highlights a significant boost in interest for IndyCar’s early-season schedule. According to FOX, the Phoenix race also delivered a 95 per cent increase in viewership for Saturday IndyCar broadcasts compared with similar time slots last year.
The result marks the strongest Saturday audience for an IndyCar race since 2020, when the event at Texas Motor Speedway drew approximately 1.25 million viewers on NBC.
To illustrate the scale of improvement, the last IndyCar race held at Phoenix in 2018—broadcast on NBC Sports Network—recorded only 254,000 viewers, demonstrating how the series’ visibility has improved since returning to the venue.
NASCAR Secondary Series Stable
Meanwhile, the NASCAR support event—the NASCAR Xfinity Series race—aired on The CW and averaged 1.154 million viewers on Saturday.
While this represents a slight decline compared with 1.200 million viewers for the same race last year, the series’ overall season average currently stands at 1.451 million viewers, essentially unchanged year-on-year.
Key Television Figures
| Event | Series | Network | Viewers | Change vs Previous Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Race (Sunday) | NASCAR Cup Series | Fox Sports 1 | 2.841 million | +0.7% |
| Phoenix Race (Saturday) | IndyCar Series | FOX | 1.247 million | +77%* |
| Phoenix Race (Saturday) | NASCAR Xfinity Series | The CW | 1.154 million | -3.8% |
*Comparison based on 2025 season’s second race at The Thermal Club.
Cross-Promotion Success
Motorsport analysts believe the combined scheduling of NASCAR and IndyCar events at the same venue may have contributed to increased exposure for both series. Fans attending the track were able to experience two of North America’s premier racing championships in a single weekend, while television audiences benefited from a concentrated slate of high-profile races.
With strong ratings and positive fan engagement, the Phoenix experiment may encourage further cross-promotional weekends in the future. For both championships, the results demonstrate that collaboration—rather than competition—can be a powerful tool in expanding motorsport’s television audience.
