Prime Video's first NASCAR race averages 2.72 million viewers, younger audience
Associated Press
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600 averaged 2.72 million viewers in Prime Video's first NASCAR race.
The race, which was won by Ross Chastain, was the third-highest-watched NASCAR race this season not carried by Fox. FS1 averaged 2.89 million viewers for the March 16 race at Las Vegas and 2.84 million for Phoenix on March 9.
Fox Sports had the first 12 races of the season, with eight being carried on FS1. Last year's Coca-Cola 600 on Fox averaged 3.2 million viewers.
According to Nielsen, the audience for Sunday night's race peaked at 2.92 million viewers near the midway point.
Prime Video's audience had an average age of 55.8 years, which is more than six years younger than the average median age of viewers watching NASCAR Cup Series races on linear TV (61.9).
The 67-minute postrace show averaged 1.04 million viewers and peaked at 1.26 million.
This was the first of five races that Prime Video will carry this season.
___
AP NASCAR: https://apnews.com/hub/nascar-racing
recommended
in this topic
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
23 minutes ago
- New York Times
NASCAR free agency: What we're hearing about Trackhouse, Connor Zilisch, Kaulig and more
NASCAR's Silly Season — that time of year when drivers and teams are looking to solidify their plans for the next year and speculation about potential moves ramps up — can often be quiet at the onset, giving the feel that no notable major free agency moves will occur. And then, something out of nowhere drops, causing a ripple effect across the Cup Series landscape. Advertisement Quiet is how things presently stand for this year's version of Silly Season — 'very, very quiet,' according to one executive whose team is often in the middle of NASCAR's free-agency period. 'Crickets' is how another industry source described it. This time, though, the expectation from sources throughout the industry is that Silly Season will remain rather uneventful. That's primarily because four of NASCAR's biggest teams — Hendrick Motorsports, Team Penske, Joe Gibbs Racing and 23XI Racing — essentially have their driver lineups locked in for 2026. Not much change is anticipated among many other teams either, for various reasons (drivers in the middle of contracts, sponsorship, performance, etc.). Still, there are things to keep an eye on into the summer, when many deals are brokered and contracts signed. Let's take a look at the drivers and teams to watch. The big domino this Silly Season is Trackhouse. The Justin Marks-owned team has four drivers under contract and only three spots on its Cup roster — one of which is taken, with Ross Chastain still under contract for multiple years and delivering exceptional performance. Jockeying for the other rides are Daniel Suárez, Shane van Gisbergen and Connor Zilisch. The former two are currently teammates with Chastain in Cup, while the latter is a promising rookie in NASCAR's second-tier Xfinity Series. Both van Gisbergen and Zilisch have term remaining on their respective contracts, with Suárez's contract up at the end of the season. And, ultimately, it may come down to just this factor — letting pending free agent Suárez, who sits 30th in points, walk to promote Zilisch. Of course, it may not be this straightforward. Suárez is well-liked within Trackhouse, has sponsorship, and is more proven on ovals than van Gisbergen, who, in just his first full Cup season, has largely struggled with this type of racing after years focusing exclusively on road courses. Trackhouse could decide that van Gisbergen, who is three spots behind Suárez in the points standings, has hit his ceiling as a NASCAR driver and opt to retain Suárez. All of that is predicated on Trackhouse promoting Zilisch. And this is no sure thing. He'll turn just 19 in July, and he's in his first full season competing at NASCAR's national level. Another year of development isn't necessarily a bad thing. And even if he stays in Xfinity full-time, Trackhouse would continue to provide Zilisch limited Cup starts with its fourth part-time entry. Advertisement 'We'll see what his future holds, but right now we have a mechanism in the company to put that extra car out,' Marks said. 'We just want him to get that experience. No expectations for results or anything like that. 'We have the opportunity to give him the learning experience, and we'll continue to do that. The Cup Series is a different sport than the Xfinity Series. It is just so, so difficult. The only way to learn is to go out there and do it.' Keeping Zilisch in Xfinity for another year also effectively allows Trackhouse to kick any major decisions down the road. This pathway would allow Suárez to keep his ride while also giving Marks more of a sample size to see whether van Gisbergen can adapt to ovals. Then, next year, Trackhouse could decide on whether to retain Suárez or van Gisbergen. Marks told The Athletic that no decisions have been made about Trackhouse's 2026 roster, and the team hasn't even started contemplating it. Something to keep in mind, though, there are three street/road courses in the upcoming seven races, giving van Gisbergen a strong chance to score a win. Should he cash in, it would go a long way to firming up his future with Trackhouse for next year. '(Road courses) are where everyone expects us to perform,' van Gisbergen said. '… It's been a big learning process the last couple of months. It'll be nice to have a break and turn right.' A superstar, championship-contending driver like Denny Hamlin being in a contract year would usually generate plenty of discourse on his future. Except in this case, there is a high probability he re-signs with Joe Gibbs Racing, where he's spent the entirety of his 20-year career. Hamlin said as much last week when asked where negotiations stood. 'Working on it,' Hamlin said. 'Should be something done somewhat soon.' Advertisement Seemingly, no Silly Season overview is complete without mentioning Kaulig Racing, whose driver lineup often is in flux from year to year. It came as no surprise, then, that AJ Allmendinger was uncertain about his status for next season — he has bounced between Kaulig's Cup and Xfinity programs in recent years — when asked by The Athletic. Allmendinger said he wasn't sure where things stood, but was happy to do whatever team owner Matt Kaulig and president Chris Rice thought best. But while Allmendinger may be unclear, Rice left no doubt which series Allmendinger will be competing in next year, saying that '100 percent' Allmendinger will remain as driver of Kaulig's No. 16 Cup entry. Keeping Allmendinger in Cup makes sense considering how much he's elevated the team's performance. He is currently ranked 18th in the standings, just 13 points behind the provisional cutoff to make the playoffs. Ask someone in the garage what they think of 23XI Racing reserve driver Corey Heim and the likely response is that he's both ready for and deserving of a full-time Cup ride. The soon-to-be 23-year-old has 15 Truck Series wins in 75 career starts and impressed in limited Cup starts. 'He's going to be a Sunday Cup guy,' said Hamlin, 23XI co-owner. 'There's no doubt in my mind about it. He's going to be with 23XI for the long haul.' But while Heim will likely be in Cup full-time someday, it won't be next year. Instead, he'll continue to race full-time outside of Cup (with spot Cup starts mixed in) while waiting for an opportunity to materialize. Currently, that opportunity isn't there. 23XI's 2026 lineup is set with Tyler Reddick, Bubba Wallace and Riley Herbst all under contract. That makes 2027 the earliest timeline for Heim to secure a full-time Cup ride. '(Heim is) doing everything (he's been) asked to,' Hamlin said. 'He's in the building multiple times per week, working on his craft, continuing to get better, waiting on the opportunity. And he knows he's got a long-term future with 23XI Racing, and he's happy with that. And he's happy with the development process that we have set out for him in the future. But, ultimately, there's only three cars, three charters that we're allowed to have, and so we have to figure out in the future where we go with that.' Other names to watch (listed alphabetically): Aric Almirola, Corey LaJoie, Jesse Love, Sam Mayer, Chandler Smith (Top photo of Connor Zilisch hugging Trackhouse teammate Ross Chastain: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
How to watch Sunday's Cup race at Nashville: Start time, TV info and weather
After completing its longest distance of the season in the Coca-Cola 600, the NASCAR Cup Series will race Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway, which produced its longest race in duration last year. The 2024 race lasted a marathon 4 hours, 3 minutes and 54 seconds because of five overtimes that extended the distance by 31 laps — an OT record for the Cup Series. Joey Logano capitalized on his sterling fuel conservation to earn the victory that locked the No. 22 Ford into a playoff run to last year's championship. Logano, Kyle Larson (two) and Denny Hamlin (three) have won the past six Cup races on concrete surfaces. Larson is the only Cup driver with four top 10s at Nashville since the track returned to the circuit in 2021. The Hendrick Motorsports star's has a personal-best average finish of 4.5 at Nashville. Halfway through the 26-race regular season, eight drivers have clinched playoff spots with victories. Coke 600 winner Ross Chastain became the third driver in the past four races to earn his first victory of 2025. Dustin Long, Details for Sunday's Cup race at Nashville Superspeedway (All times Eastern) START: The command to fire engines will be given at 7:09 p.m. ... The race is scheduled to begin at 7:19 p.m. PRERACE: The Cup garage will open at 4 p.m. ... Driver introductions are at 6:30 p.m. ... The invocation will be given at 7:01 p.m. ... The national anthem will be performed by Sgt. Elizabeth Marino, 2D Marine Aircraft Wing Band at 7:02 p.m. DISTANCE: The race is 300 laps (399 miles) on the 1.333-mile oval. STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 90. Stage 2 ends at Lap 185. ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 39 cars entered at Charlotte. TV/RADIO: Prime will broadcast the race starting at 6:30 p.m. ... Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage. FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — Partly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon, a high of 83 degrees and winds from the west at 5 to 10 mph with a 40 percent chance of rain. It's expected to be 80 degrees with a 24 percent chance of rain at the start of the Cup race. LAST TIME: In a key moment during his championship season, Joey Logano seized the lead in the third overtime and hung on to lead the final nine laps through two more overtime restarts.
NBC Sports
2 hours ago
- NBC Sports
How to watch Saturday's Xfinity race at Nashville: Start time, TV info and weather
Justin Allgaier is the lone former Nashville Superspeedway winner in the field Saturday as the Xfinity Series enters the second half of the regular season. Five different drivers have won the past five Xfinity races at Nashville, which has been the site of seven first career wins in the Xfinity Series (most recently Brad Keselowski in 2008). Austin Hill is the only active Xfinity driver with top 10s in all four races since the track returned to the schedule in 2021. After winning at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Hendrick Motorsports' No. 17 Chevrolet has two victories and five top-two finishes in eight starts this season. Corey Day will be driving the car at Nashville as one of 13 drivers making their Xfinity debut on the 1.333-mile concrete oval. Coming off his Coca-Cola 600 victory, Ross Chastain will drive the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. Through 13 races, six of 12 Xfinity playoff spots have been filled by series regulars with victories. Allgaier has a series-leading nine top fives and 537 laps led. Details for Saturday's Xfinity race at Nashville Superspeedway (All times Eastern) START: The command to start engines will be given at 7:30 p.m. ... The race is scheduled to begin at 7:40 p.m. PRERACE: The Xfinity garage will open at 12:30 p.m. ... Driver introductions are at 6:55 p.m. ... The invocation will be given at 7:22 p.m. ... The anthem will be performed by Rocky Wallace at 7:23 p.m. DISTANCE: The race is 188 laps (250.04 miles) on the 1.333-mile oval. STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 45. Stage 2 ends at Lap 90. ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 40 cars entered at Nashville. TV/RADIO: CW will broadcast the race starting at 7 p.m. ... Performance Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage. FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — Mainly sunny with a high of 84 degrees and winds from the west-northwest at 10 to 20 mph. It's expected to be 78 degrees with a 15 percent chance of rain at the start of the Xfinity race. LAST TIME: John Hunter Nemechek led a race-high 76 of 188 laps and beat Chandler Smith by 0.366 seconds.
