It is no secret that NASCAR’s TV viewership numbers have seen a steady dip over the years. Several people relate it to the decline of the sport’s popularity. So when FOX Sports’s Kevin Harvick Special on NASCAR Race Hub received more than 2 million viewers, that would put a smile on fans’ faces, right? Wrong. If anything, fans believe that the high viewership numbers of the program were due to another sport that was televised just before.

Kevin Harvick retired from NASCAR after the conclusion of the 2023 season. He became a Cup Series champion during his time as a driver and will be remembered as one of the greatest racers of the modern era. It would make sense for fans to tune in and watch a tribute show dedicated to the driver, right? Unfortunately, not everyone feels that way.

Kevin Harvick special gives NASCAR a much-needed boost

NASCAR’s television viewership has been quite low this season. Actually, the 2023 season was the least-watched season in the history of the sport. With just  2.86 million viewers, it beat the previous record of the 2021 season, which had averaged 3.00 million. Most races in the year saw a drop off from last season, including every single playoff race bar Texas.

The most viewed race of the season was the Daytona 500 with 8.17 million viewers but even that was an 8% dip from last season. Sonoma was the best when compared to last season’s numbers as it saw a jump of 30%. However, the number of viewers remained at a modest 2.91 million.

So when FOX Sports’ NASCAR Race Hub featuring the Kevin Harvick Special aired on a Sunday afternoon, nobody had any big hopes. Yes, almost every racing fan has a healthy respect for Harvick but no one really expected the show to pull in as many viewers with the season now over.

However, the results shocked people as the show earned 2.05 million viewers. It is a huge deal both for FOX and NASCAR to see these results. Several experts also spoke about its success on social media. However, it did not take fans long to show them the reality of things.

Several racing fans expressed their opinion on Reddit. Some suggested that the only reason why Race Hub had such great numbers was because people were watching the NFL program before it and had simply not turned off their televisions.

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Fans reveal the reality behind high numbers, shattering false illusions

A couple of people commented that they just forgot to turn their televisions off after watching the football program. One fan even said that bar TVs, whose channels are not very frequently changed, could have been part of the achievement.

“The real question is how many of those viewers were asleep on the couch and / or bar TV’s that just didn’t bother to change the channel?” one fan asked.

“Unfortunately I’m betting most just left the tv on,” quipped another.

A lot of times, people leave their televisions on, not paying attention to what’s going on or simply completing some personal chores with it running in the background. That is what another couple of users alluded to.

“Its the same effect that gives 60 minutes such great ratings in the fall. The sporting event running significantly over into that time slot, and people leaving that channel on while doing other things after the game is over,” one fan wrote.

“And half the time I watch 60 minutes for 30 minutes because I’m not paying attention to the tv,” commented another.

Race Hub might have gotten a lot of viewers this past Sunday but not many people are a fan of the FOX Sports show. Some of them did not stop themselves from criticising the show.

“So over 2m viewers got the goofiest possible introduction to NASCAR?” one user asked.

“I cant stand Race Hub. Fox always makes us look terrible,” wrote another.

While the signs were positive, a lot of valid questions were raised by fans. It will be interesting to see how NASCAR performs in the 2024 season.

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