The TV ratings for this weekend’s race at Homestead-Miami Speedway are in, and NASCAR beat its chief competitor. According to Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, NASCAR beat Formula One in the overall viewership for the weekend, but the key demographic was the big winner for NASCAR. What specifically happened, and why does this matter?

By the Numbers

According to Lewis, NASCAR pulled in 2.250 million viewers over the weekend. A figure that Austin Konenski reports was a 2.6% drop from one year ago. However, Formula One on ABC, which was on during the Homestead race, only pulled in 882,000 viewers in the United States Grand Prix at COTA.

However, the key demographic was less of a win for NASCAR as NASCAR brought in 339,000 viewers of ages 18-49 and 142,000 from ages 18-34 according to Lewis. Formula One, on the other hand, only brought in 298,000 viewers from ages 18-49 and 115,000 from ages 18-34.

Why This is a Big Deal

With Formula One inching in on NASCAR territory in recent years, this was a major test for NASCAR. Formula One was racing in the United States at Circuit of the Americas, on network TV, during the NASCAR race at Homestead-Miami. It is the second time that the two went head-to-head in the United States this season, with F1 in Miami and NASCAR in Kansas back in May.

That one says NASCAR won in the overall viewership, but Formula One took the key demographic. This time, NASCAR won in both demographics, which is a big win for NASCAR. NASCAR is also making strides in trying to appeal to the younger audience including a new video game coming out in 2025 and a Netflix docu-series.

While the general downturn in ratings is not a win for NASCAR, beating Formula One is major. NASCAR goes up against Formula One once again this weekend with F1 in Mexico as the Martinsville race ends. Will this trend continue?