NASCAR Chicago race viewership slumps as only 2,100,000 tune in to see Shane van Gisbergen’s road course dominance 

NASCAR may have produced an action-packed Chicago street race last weekend, but cable viewership didn't go so well. This year's edition had 2.1 million viewers (excluding streaming) on TNT Sports, translating to about a two-million viewership dip compared to previous seasons with NBC.

The 2025 Grant Park 165 saw Shane van Gisbergen take the checkered flag after overtaking Chase Briscoe for the lead with 16 laps remaining. He also won the Xfinity Series race on Saturday, allowing him to sweep the Chicago race weekend.

In an X post by NASCAR Insider Adam Stern. TNT Sports only had about two million people witnessing SVG dominate in the Windy City. In comparison to previous seasons, 2024 had 3.9 million, while the inaugural race in 2023 had 4.6 million.

“@TNTdrama+ @TruTV got 2.1 million viewers for Sunday's third edition of @NASCARChicago; that doesn't include streaming, and this year was on cable, but that's down from 3.9 million last year on @NBC network and from 4.6 million in 2023 in the inaugural running on NBC network,” Stern wrote.

TNT Sports is one of the recently added broadcast partners of the NASCAR Cup Series this year, alongside Amazon Prime. It is part of the stock car racing series' new seven-year media rights deal worth $1.1 billion.

Fox Sports kicked off the 2025 season in the Daytona 500 before Amazon Prime took over in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After five races, TNT Sports stepped into the role, with NBC (through the USA Network) scheduled to cover the sport starting at Iowa Speedway in August.

In the coming years, the Chicago street race may not be back on the calendar. When Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was asked about the future of the race, he dodged the question and instead hoped for the weather to clear.

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“What an amazing weekend”: NASCAR rookie Shane van Gisbergen on dominant weekend in Chicago

Shane van Gisbergen shared his thoughts on winning two NASCAR races on the same weekend on the streets of Chicago. The 36-year-old thought he was a lucky guy to run competent cars that gave him a weekend to remember.

In a post-race interview, SVG said (via NASCAR on YouTube):

“What an amazing weekend for me. Lucky guy to drive some great cars, and I have to thank Trackhouse, WeatherTech, Chevy, and all these guys and girls here. What an amazing weekend. Thanks to everyone for coming out, and I hope we put on a good show.” [4:50]

Shane van Gisbergen converted his pole position to a win, finishing ahead of Ty Gibbs, Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Busch. It is his second win of the year amid his rookie Cup Series season with Trackhouse Racing.

After the Chicago street race, SVG moved up five spots to 27th in the points standings. Thanks to the sport's “Win and You're In" rule, the rookie is bound for the playoffs along with Trackhouse Racing teammate Ross Chastain. Daniel Suarez, meanwhile, hasn't won yet and is set to leave the team at the end of the year.