INDIANAPOLIS – It was another impressive ratings improvement for the NTT IndyCar Series as Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix scored a total audience delivery of 1.145 million viewers.
That was NBC Sports’ best afternoon IndyCar race excluding the 2019 Indianapolis 500 and the best GMR Grand Prix in six years.
The two races televised so far on NBC have generated a 30 percent increase in ratings when compared to 2019.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard averaged a total audience delivery of 1.692 million viewers. That was the best Xfinity race from Indianapolis in three years and up 21 percent when compared to the 2019 Xfinity average on NBC.
The ratings are according to Fast National data by Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics. Scott Dixon won the NTT IndyCar Series GMR Grand Prix and Chase Briscoe won the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 150 in back-to-back races at the IMS road course on Saturday, both on NBC.
Saturday’s GMR Grand Prix (Noon-2:01 p.m. ET) averaged a total audience delivery of 1.145 million viewers, making it NBC Sports’ best afternoon race and second-most watched IndyCar race overall behind last month’s Genesys 300 at Texas Motor Speedway (1.256 million viewers). This is excluding the 2019 Indianapolis 500 for both milestones.
It is also the most-watched Indy Grand Prix in six years (1.244 million, ABC, 2014) and up 7 percent compared last year’s race in May (1.073 million, NBC). Saturday’s race delivered a .77 HH rating and had a TV-only peak of 1.306 million viewers from 1:30-1:45 p.m. ET.
Through the first two races of the season, the NTT IndyCar Series is averaging a TAD of 1.2 million viewers, up 30 percent versus the first two IndyCar races on NBC last season (922,000), excluding the Indianapolis 500.
“Last year we saw meaningful audience growth and two races into this season the momentum is continuing,” said Mark Miles, president and CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp. “We look forward to the next five races and the rescheduled Indianapolis 500 and the continuation of this growth.”
Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 150 (3:09-5:12 p.m. ET) averaged a total audience delivery of 1.692 million viewers, making it the most-watched Xfinity race from the Brickyard in three years (1.693 million, NBCSN, 2017), up 21 percent versus the series’ four races on NBC in 2019 (1.398), and the most-watched Xfinity race on a broadcast network since Darlington last August (1.711 million on NBC).
TV-only viewership peaked at nearly two million viewers (1.990 million) as the race concluded from 5-5:12 p.m. ET. It delivered a 1.10 HH rating.