NASCAR TV ratings for the WWT Raceway playoff race suffered a massive slump in previous year’s comparisons

NASCAR’s playoff race at World Wide Technology Raceway saw a sharp drop in TV ratings. A new post from reporter Adam Stern showed that the event on USA Network pulled much fewer viewers than both last year’s second playoff race and the same track’s race earlier this season.

The update was posted on X. Stern reported that Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at WWT Raceway earned a 0.82 rating and 1.525 million viewers on USA Network. That was down from 1.8 million viewers for last year’s second playoff race at Watkins Glen. The numbers looked worse when compared to this year’s June race at the same track, which drew 2.5 million viewers on FS1.

Adam Stern

@A_S12

.@USANetwork got a 0.82 rating and 1.525 million viewers for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race @WWTRaceway, down from 1.8 million for last year's second playoff race (@WGI) and from 2.5 million for the 2024 event at the same venue on @FS1, though that was held in June.

This is a concern for NASCAR. Playoff races are expected to attract higher numbers. But so far, the 2025 postseason has started with weaker ratings. The Darlington opener already showed a drop, and now WWT Raceway has added another sign of declining audience interest.

Before the playoff race, Denny Hamlin won the pole position at WWT Raceway and set a new track record. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver clocked a lap of 139.190 mph in 32.330 seconds, beating Michael McDowell’s record from last year.

This was Hamlin’s second straight playoff pole and his third of the 2025 season. It was also the 46th pole of his NASCAR Cup Series career. He earned the top spot despite being only 17th fastest in practice. Denny Hamlin also won the race to reach the second round of the playoffs for the seventh year in a row.

---

NASCAR's Toyota steps up as playoff favorite

NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck changed his playoff view after the first two races. He originally picked Team Penske and Ford as the favorites, but now believes Toyota is the manufacturer to beat.

Chase Briscoe gave Toyota a win at Darlington to open the playoffs, and Denny Hamlin followed with another victory at WWT Raceway. Both drivers are now locked into the Round of 12.

In the standings, Hamlin and Briscoe hold the top two spots. Kyle Larson of Chevrolet is third, Bubba Wallace in his #23 Toyota is fourth, and Ryan Blaney of Penske is fifth. Defending champion Joey Logano sits 10th, with a 21-point buffer above the cutoff. Gluck explained the switch on The Teardown podcast with Jordan Bianchi.

“My whole playoff prediction was based on this Penske theory of flat tracks. Penske is so good at these types of tracks, and the championship is going to run through Penske. I no longer think that,” he said. “It’s pretty clear that Toyota is bringing the smoke, as Joey Logano put it after the race.”

“I’m really thinking that, ‘Hey, Toyota has come out with a statement here, and they are the team or the manufacturer to beat,’” he added.

For the 2025 season overall, Chevrolet leads with 12 wins, boosted by Shane van Gisbergen’s success on road courses. Toyota is close with 11 wins, nearly half from Hamlin. Ford lags behind with only five wins, adding to the concerns around Team Penske’s title chances.