IndyCar Barber, NASCAR Richmond TV Ratings (Update)
Although IndyCar did not race at Barber in 2020, the 2019 race drew just 296,000 viewers – a testament to just how bad NBCSN is (they could not get a good TV rating if their life depended on it) and why NBC has decided to deep-six NBCSN after this year.
AR1.com has been saying for years that all IndyCar races must be on network TV if the series is to grow. NBCSN TV ratings have nearly destroyed the sport. Don’t believe us? Let’s look at the history of Barber TV ratings on NBCSN vs now NBC:
| Venue | Barber |
| 2016 Network | NBCSN |
| 2016 Rating | 0.26 |
| 2016 Total Viewers | 279,000 |
| 2017 Network | NBCSN |
| 2017 Rating | 0.39 |
| 2017 Total Viewers | 470,000 |
| 2017 18-49 yr old Viewers | 100,000 |
| 2018 Network | NBCSN |
| 2018 Rating | 0.2 |
| 2018 Total Viewers | 310,000 |
| 2018 18-49 yr old Viewers | 50,000 |
| 2019 Network | NBCSN |
| 2019 Rating | 0.19 |
| 2019 Total Viewers | 296,000 |
| 2019 18-49 yr old Viewers | 48,000 |
| 2020 Network | No Race |
| 2020 Rating | – |
| 2020 Total Viewers | – |
| 2020 18-49 yr old Viewers | – |
| 2021 Network | NBC |
| 2021 Rating | 0.59 |
| 2021 Total Viewers | 914,000 |
| 2021 18-49 yr old Viewers | 257,000 |
April 20, 2021
Sunday’s IndyCar Alabama GP race on NBC from Barber Motorsports Park drew 914,000 Total Viewers, equal to a 0.59 TV rating.
The race did not run last year due to Covid, so no direct comparisons.
Despite being on network TV vs cable for F1, the IndyCar race just squeaked out a higher rating, 0.59 (on NBC) vs. 0.53 (on ESPN) for F1, equal to 914K Total Viewers fro IndyCar vs 906K viewers for F1.
The NASCAR race from Richmond on Fox Sunday drew 3,315 million viewers and a 2.00 TV rating.
The NASCAR Truck Series drew a 0.48 rating and 769,000 viewers Saturday on FS1 while the NHRA finals from Las Vegas Sunday pulled a 0.18 TV rating and 277,000 viewers.
Mark C. reporting for AutoRacing1.com