Weekend TV Ratings – F1 booms, IndyCar plummets
The final TV ratings for last weekend are shown below. All racing series saw a nice increase from the prior year, except IndyCar that crashed and burned – down 25% on NBCSN.
F1 saw the biggest increase as it continues to dwarf IndyCar in the USA – up a massive 51.5%. It’s becoming obvious now that open wheel fans in the USA much prefer F1 over IndyCar. The fact that they can draw that many viewers in the wee hours every Sunday morning is a testament to its popularity in America.
| Network | Event | Location | Total Viewers | 18-49 Viewers | 2021 TV Rating | Prior Year Rating | % Chg |
| NBCSN | NASCAR Cup Race L | Las Vegas | 2,095,000 | 428,000 | 1.21 | 1.15 | +5.2% |
| ESPN2 | F1 Russian GP L | Sochi | 833,000 | 335,000 | 0.50 | 0.33 | +51.5% |
| NBCSN | NASCAR Xfinity Race L | Las Vegas | 830,000 | 120,000 | 0.50 | 0.45 | +11.1% |
| FS1 | NASCAR Truck Race L | Las Vegas | 462,000 | 89,000 | 0.28 | 0.24 | +16.7% |
| NBCSN | IndyCar Long Beach Race L | Long Beach | 368,000 | 78,000 | 0.21 | *0.28 | -25.0% |
| FS1 | NHRA Finals | Gateway | 253,000 | 25,000 | 0.15 | 0.15 | +0.0% |
* No race in 2020. Rating is from 2019