Monday window has Daytona 500 audience down 27%

This year’s figure is also the second-lowest Daytona 500 audience on record, behind 2021Getty Images

The Daytona 500’s Sunday rainout led to a 27% year-over-year audience drop for Fox, as this year’s 4pm ET Monday green flag delivered just 5.96 million viewers. Last year’s race ran in its normal Sunday afternoon window.

This year’s figure is also the second-lowest Daytona 500 audience on record, behind 2021, when a six-hour rain delay pushed the end of the race well past midnight (adding to already low COVID-impacted audience numbers).

This year’s Daytona audience also is 15% lower than 2020, when rain forced the race to a Monday afternoon (Fox drew 7.03 million that year just before the pandemic lockdowns).

On Monday night at 9pm ET, FS1 drew 933,000 viewers for the season-opening NASCAR Xfinity Series race from Daytona (also rained out on Saturday). The Saturday primetime window on FS1 last year delivered 1.69 million (a drop of 45%).