CHARLOTTE, N.C. — While industry experts and fans alike debated whether or not the NASCAR Cup Series should continue to race on dirt tracks, the proof may have been in the pudding.
Sunday night’s Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway attracted more than four million viewers on FOX.
It was the most-watched NASCAR race of any kind at Bristol since the spring race of 2016, averaging 4,007,000 viewers.
Viewership was up more than 20 percent of last year’s equivalent race, which was at Richmond (Va.) Raceway and up my more than 28 percent from last year’s rain-delayed Cup Series race on the dirt at Bristol.
Viewership peaked at 4,518,000 shortly before 9 p.m. ET.
In all, NASCAR viewership for Cup Series races on FOX is up 17 percent over last year through the first eight races of the campaign.
On Saturday night, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on FOX Sports 1 earned 1,167,000 viewers, which was up 87% over last season’s race.Â