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Not every weekend does a NASCAR and F1 race event coincide while being in the same country and almost at the same time as each other. Last weekend's Dixie Vodka 400 and US Grand Prix, however, saw both genres of motorsport go live in the United States of America at similar times.
NASCAR and Stock Car Racing, as a genre of motorsport, have been under constant pressure to reinvent the wheel with their formats as viewership has continued to drop since early 2010s. Last weekend's comparison, however, portrayed an interesting picture of both the genres of motorsport going head-to-head, with what could be the evenest form of comparison possible.
With F1 on the rise in almost every part of the world owing to the runaway hit docu-series Drive to Survive, the highest echelon of motorsport in the world has also enjoyed its resurgence in the US. With the open-wheeled series' drivers going head-to-head last weekend in the Lone Star State, NASCAR managed to edge the Liberty Media-owned franchise in terms of television ratings, at least in the country.
This year's Cup Series race in Miami generated a 1.42 rating with 2.311 million viewers, while F1 could only manage a 0.64 rating and 1.113 million viewers. The numbers for the F1 viewership, however, included pre-race shows and ceremonies, diluting the actual figure representative of the race itself, like with NASCAR. If compared to their numbers from last year, the sport has seen a slight increase in viewership to 2.11 million for last year's Cup Series race at Kansas, with the 2021 US Grand Prix scoring 1.2 million.
The determining factor, however, in the ratings and viewership numbers comes in the form of both the sport's reach to a worldwide audience. While F1 visits multiple countries all over the world with fans on every continent, stock car racing is concentrated in the United States for the most part. This is in no way going to take away from the fact that numbers for the sport are on the rise, contrary to popular belief.
NASCAR Euro Series to race on ice next year
NASCAR's european counterpart, the Euro Whelen Series, is all set to visit Finland next year with hopes of bringing fans with a unique racing experience. The sport will visit the country next year in 2023, with the Arctic Ice Race being the first sanctioned race on ice by the governing body.
The event is set to take place atop a frozen lake in Rovaniemi, also known for hosting various rally races.
