“Bounce back on the NBC races, and I think we’ll have a decent rating here on Sunday.” Those words said by Steve Phelps in defense of the declining TV ratings didn’t age well.  If you have been following NASCAR closely, then you’re surely well-versed with this long-standing problem. NASCAR’s ratings slide has fans pointing the blame at the playoff system.

Despite the $7.7 billion media deal with FOX, Amazon, NBC, and Warner Bros. Discovery, the ratings and viewership numbers continue to dip. New Hampshire drew just 1.29M compared to 1.88M last year. Even the 2025 Phoenix finale couldn’t escape the slump. While the NFL dominates Sundays with 25 million viewers, NASCAR hovers near 1-2 million, and fans insist the playoff format is the real problem.

NASCAR insider shares devastating TV numbers amid playoff format debate

As Kyle Larson lifted his second Bill France Cup and Danny Hamlin’s title dreams went up in smoke, NBC’s coverage drew 2.77 million viewers (1.44 rating), a drop from 2.9 million (1.60) the previous year. It might also mark the final run of the polarizing playoff format that has divided fans since 2014.

According to Jeff Gluck, ever since the debut of NASCAR’s one-race championship format in 2014 delivered a jolt of excitement, the TV ratings immediately reflected it. The final three races of the season average around 5 million viewers, a solid jump from the 4.5 million average seen the previous year. But ever since the introduction of the winner-take-all and elimination-style playoff system, NASCAR TV ratings have taken a serious hit, especially this year. In fact, the viewership dip capped off a 14% season-long decline across the Cup Series.

But that was something NASCAR leadership insists was expected. President Steve Phelps explained that the new media deal’s shift is what made the results inevitable. He said, “When the season started, because of the distribution changes to be less [network TV] broadcast-heavy and more cable-heavy and streaming, we knew we were going to have a reset. We had projected that reset and told everyone in our industry that reset would be between 14% and 15% in Cup.”

But it wasn’t all bad news throughout the year. Races on Amazon Prime Video, once seen as a risky bet, actually delivered, with three of the five fixtures breaking 2 million viewers and the Coca-Cola 600 ranking among the top 10 most-watched races of the year. Fans, though, remain frustrated with the playoff system, calling it gimmicky and confusing.

With ratings sliding and a viewership fatigue settling in, NASCAR is reportedly ironing out a major overhaul for 2026, possibly a shortened playoff, the classic 10-race chase, or even a return to the old full-season points battle. And now, with President Steve Phelps is coming to rescue the fall in TV numbers, fans are hoping for a better 2026 TV season.

However, Phelps couldn’t help acknowledge the hit on NBC Sports. As the maximum incidence of low ratings featured on the USA network, said, “The charter numbers were slightly softer than we thought they would be, slightly, um, but in line with the projections. I would say the cable portion of the NBC package has been a little softer than we had expected.” 

Meanwhile, the Xfinity Series has quietly stolen the spotlight. After moving to The CW, its ratings jumped 10%, with 21 out of 33 races topping 1 million viewers, proving that when fans can actually find the races, they will tune in. And as the dust settles on the 2025 season, NASCAR fans can’t help but sharpen their knives as they wait for the new playoff format to come along.

NASCAR fans expose the problem affecting TV ratings

As the championship races across the NASCAR series have closed out, the playoff debate has been taking center stage. A wave of frustration washed over the fan base as the ratings numbers rolled in. One long time you didn’t miss words, saying, “So they have lost almost 1/2 their viewers since 2014? 😂 And NASCAR thinks they are growing the sport? What a joke.” The remark represented the anger many feel that, despite big promises and the current playoff changes, the sport’s core appeal seems to be slipping away.

The playoff system, once hailed as a thrilling evolution, is now under fire. “Hard to stay interested when you can’t watch any of the playoffs but the last 3 or 4 races. Take the TV deal that makes the sport accessible. I watched more Indy this year, and it’s not as good a product. But it’s accessible,” a fan wrote, highlighting how complicated access has diluted engagement with so many media deals made in NASCAR this year. The message was clear: if one can’t easily tune in, the drama the playoff is supposed to deliver doesn’t matter.

And now the numbers are dragged into the argument, too. “Average TV viewers by year for playoffs. 2025 per playoff race was 1,866,000 less than 2014. Or down 57.5%. Playoffs didn’t work, and it took too long for @NASCAR to figure it out,” one viewer posted. Doing their homework, they concluded that the reason behind the dipping TV viewership is the playoff format. One fan didn’t hide the sarcasm masked in their comment, replying with, “Thank God we have that exciting last race to decide the championship!! Barely cracking the season-long race viewership average!”

And the tone only grew sharper, with one saying, “@NASCAR needs to take the hint fans are tired of the games.” The clear takeaway is that when the format alienates viewers and accessibility drops, even the best playoff system in the world won’t save the audience. And now, with the season finally over, all eyes and ears are looking forward to NASCAR dropping the renewed playoff format for the next season