TV News: Daytona 500 TV rating/viewers

See our update on the Daytona 500 TV viewership. That 5.14 million figure we reported earlier was based on preliminary overnight data that circulated shortly after the race. Somehow FOX has added 2.5 million viewers to get to the final number. That appears to be an exorbitant jump from the overnight to the final. A number never before heard of for an auto race.

February 19, 2026

The number of TV viewers for the 2026 Daytona 500 saw a significant decline compared to the previous year, primarily due to the race facing stiff competition from the Winter Olympics primetime coverage.

The event, which took place on February 15, 2026, and was won by Tyler Reddick (giving 23XI Racing and Michael Jordan their first Daytona 500 victory), pulled in roughly 5.14 million TV viewers, down 24% from 6.76 million in rain-delayed 2025 race. FOX claimed the ‘final’ total number of viewers was 7.489 million, an 11% increase over last year.

🚨 Ratings slam dunk! FOX Sports delivered 7,489,000 viewers for Sunday’s Daytona 500, an +11% jump over 2025 (6,761,000)! 🏁

▪️Outscored every non-prime Winter Olympics window on broadcast and cable
▪️Topped all broadcast and cable networks in viewership during the race from… pic.twitter.com/gmg5qlk1zP

— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) February 19, 2026

FS1 got 710,000 viewers for Wednesday’s Daytona 500 qualifying session, which started on FS2 due to college basketball running late, down 22% from 916,000 last year.

The Daytona “Duels” on Thursday night drew 1.865 Million TV viewers on FS1, flat from 2025.

The CW got 1.812 million viewers for Saturday’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Daytona International Speedway, flat from last year, per Nielsen’s panel and big data figures.