NASCAR Cup Phoenix
NASCAR, IndyCar Phoenix doubleheader generates TV ratings boost
The co-promotion of both divisions benefited the other over the weekend
Matt Weaver
Edited: Mar 11, 2026, 3:34 AM
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Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
All told, the NASCAR and IndyCar Series combined event over the weekend at Phoenix Raceway was a television ratings victory for all involved.
The Cup Series race on Sunday drew 2.841 million viewers on FS1. This is up from the 2.82 million that watched the same race in the same television window and network last year. The race peaked at 3,516,000 viewers during the 7:00-7:15 p.m. quarter hour, which included the final 10 laps that saw Ryan Blaney fend off Christopher Bell.
The IndyCar Series race on over-the-air FOX on Saturday drew 1,247,000 viewers. The network noted that this was up 77 percent over the second race of the season last year at The Thermal Club, which drew 704,000 viewers on FOX. There is no direct comparison but FOX also noted that the race marked a 95 percent viewership increase for races that aired on Saturdays on FOX last year.
It’s the best Saturday IndyCar television number since the race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2020 drew 1,250,000 on NBC. The most recent IndyCar race at Phoenix took place in 2018 and drew 254,000 viewers on the NBC Sports Network.
The NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race on Saturday averaged 1.154 million on the CW, which is slight decrease from the 1.200 million from last year. Overall, the second-tier NASCAR division is averaging 1.451 million viewers, which is practically even year-over-year.
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