Last Sunday’s Indy 500 race drew in over 5.3 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, and NBC Sports digital platforms, even though it faced a nearly four-hour rain delay. Compared to last year’s race, the viewership was up by 8%, and it was 10% higher compared to 2022.
Josef Newgarden from Team Penske won this year’s Indy 500. He became the first driver in more than two decades to win the race two times in a row. Fans witnessed an exciting finish as Newgarden overtook Pato O’Ward from Arrow McLaren on the last lap with a daring move. A record number of eighteen different drivers led at least one lap during the race.
Kyle Larson, the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion, participated in his debut Indy 500 race. He finished 18th after starting fifth. Larson was aiming to complete ‘The Double’ by participating in both the Indy 500 and the 600-mile Cup race in Charlotte on the same day. However, due to the rain delay in Indianapolis, he arrived late for the Cup race in Charlotte, which was also affected by rain.
The Indy 500 race peaked at 6.46 million viewers from 7:30-7:45pm ET and became the most-streamed IndyCar Series race ever. NBC Sports provided pre-race coverage starting at 11am ET, with the green flag originally scheduled for 12:45pm ET. Due to severe weather, the race window was moved to 4:45-8:15pm ET.
During the rain delay, NBC Sports kept viewers engaged with live updates and an encore presentation of the 2023 race, resulting in over nine hours of broadcast network coverage for the entire day. IndyCar lifted the local blackout in Indianapolis, resulting in a high household rating and share.
So far, the 2024 NTT IndyCar Series is averaging a TAD of 1.95 million viewers through six races, including the non-points exhibition at The Thermal Club in March. NBC Sports will continue its coverage of the championship with the Detroit Grand Prix on the streets of Detroit this weekend, starting at Noon ET on USA Network and Peacock.
