NASCAR enters The Chase presented by Mobil 1 following a 2026 regular season marked by broad-based growth across nearly every key area of the business. NASCAR event admissions are up 9% year over year, including 11 Cup Series sellouts, social impressions have reached 1.94 billion – up 31% versus 2025 – and trackside merchandise sales are up 26.8%, reaching their highest level in at least a decade. At the same time, NASCAR is expanding its reach across social and video platforms, generating 550 million video views during the regular season.

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That momentum now carries into NASCAR’s postseason – The Chase presented by Mobil 1, which returns for the first time since 2013 and will unfold over a 10-race championship run featuring 16 of the best drivers in the world. With four out of five NASCAR fans positively anticipating its return, according to Fan Council research – including 93% of younger avid fans 18-34 – The Chase provides NASCAR with a major platform to build on the audience, attendance and engagement gains generated throughout the regular season.

“This isn’t momentum in just one area; we’re seeing it across the entire NASCAR ecosystem,” said Steve O’Donnell, chief executive officer of NASCAR. “Fans are showing up at the track, engaging with NASCAR across more platforms and discovering the sport in entirely new ways. That doesn’t happen without the incredible work being done across our industry — by our drivers and teams, our tracks, our media partners and our sponsors. What’s especially encouraging is that we’re bringing younger and first-time fans into the sport while continuing to serve the loyal fans who have made NASCAR what it is.”

AUDIENCES ARE GROWING ACROSS NASCAR’S MEDIA ECOSYSTEM

NASCAR continues to deliver significant national reach across its media partners while attracting younger audiences and expanding engagement across emerging platforms. Growth across the Cup Series, O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Channel reflect the breadth of the sport’s media ecosystem.

  • Cup Series reach: The NASCAR Cup Series reached more than 39 million unique viewers on television this season. Additionally, viewership among adults ages 18-24 is up 8%.

  • O’Reilly Auto Parts Series: The series is averaging 1.1 million viewers, up 4% year over year, and has ranked as The CW’s top-performing program in 22 of 24 weeks. This marks the second consecutive season the series is seeing viewership growth on television with The CW.

  • Craftsman Truck Series: Viewership among adults ages 18-24 has more than doubled year over year, while viewership among adults ages 18-34 is up 46%. Overall, the series is averaging 567,000 viewers, up 9% versus 2025.

  • NASCAR Channel: The channel is averaging more than 100 million minutes watched and 4 million viewers per month, an overall increase of 25% since August 2025. It is distributed across more than eight platforms, NASCAR.com and the NASCAR mobile app, with additional partners onboarding.

FAN DEMAND IS DRIVING CONSUMER PRODUCTS GROWTH

Growing fan engagement is also translating into increased demand for NASCAR merchandise and licensed products. Trackside and online sales have both posted significant year-over-year gains, while new collaborations are extending NASCAR into fashion, entertainment and youth culture.

  • Trackside Sales: Total Trackside Sales (sales at the race track) are up 26.8% year over year, reaching their highest level in at least a decade.

  • NASCAR Shop (Online) Sales: Total NASCAR Shop Sales are up 24% year over year.

  • Cultural Relevance: Licensed & Consumer Products continues to build culturally relevant moments across the board. Some examples this year include LEGO City NASCAR Kids Zone, NASCAR X Justice for Girls, NASCAR X Aeropostale, Collaboration with Special Edition Rolling Stones Albums, Lightning McQueen at the Daytona 500 and the NASCAR X Cars die-cast at Walmart.

DEMAND FOR THE LIVE NASCAR EXPERIENCE CONTINUES TO GROW

Fans continue to show strong demand for NASCAR events, with admissions, sellouts, camping and group sales all demonstrating the strength of the live race experience.

  • Admissions growth: Admissions for NASCAR events are up 9% year over year.

  • Sellouts: NASCAR has sold out 11 Cup Series events, including nine of 12 races from the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway through the Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway.

  • Camping and group buyers: Camping has seen an increase of 4% while group sales are up by 7% year over year

SAN DIEGO INTRODUCES NASCAR TO A NEW AUDIENCE

NASCAR’s inaugural race weekend in San Diego demonstrated the opportunity to bring the sport to new markets and new fans. Sellout crowds, significant first-time attendance and strong media and social engagement extended the impact of the event well beyond the racetrack.

  • Two event sellouts: Both the Anduril 250 and United Rentals Driven to Serve 250 sold out, drawing attendees from all 50 states and 17 countries.

  • New fans: 67% of attendees were attending their first NASCAR event, continuing a pattern seen when NASCAR enters new markets: 70% of ticket sales for the inaugural L.A. Coliseum event came from first-time NASCAR attendees, while more than 80% of inaugural Chicago Street Race ticket buyers were first-timers.

  • Media impact: The weekend generated 41,500 media mentions, five times the volume from the comparable period a year earlier.

  • Social response: San Diego content generated more than 89 million social impressions and more than 19 million video views.

DIGITAL AND SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT EXTENDS BEYOND RACE DAY

Fans are increasingly engaging with NASCAR across social, video and owned digital platforms throughout the week, creating more opportunities to connect with the sport beyond live competition.

  • Race-day content: Total post views on Cup Series race days are up 43.1% year over year.

  • Social scale: NASCAR content has generated 1.94 billion social impressions, up 31% versus 2025.

  • Fan interaction: Social engagements have reached 70 million, up 5.4% versus 2025.

  • Video consumption: NASCAR content has surpassed 550 million video views.

  • Owned platforms: NASCAR.com has generated 58 million visits and 205 million page views year to date, delivering double-digit growth this season.

COMMERCIAL MOMENTUM

  • Sustained growth: NASCAR, perennially ranked by MarketCast as the number one sport in brand loyalty with fans, is experiencing one of its strongest stretches of commercial growth in recent years, including the strongest since 2019, fueled by new-business activity, strong partner retention and expanded investment from existing brands.

  • Larger commitments: Momentum is reflected in both the volume and significance of recent agreements, including category exclusivities, major entitlements and broader year-round platforms across teams, tracks and the sanctioning body.

  • Business value: Partners are increasingly using NASCAR to build consumer relationships, create distinctive fan experiences and advance broader business objectives — reinforcing the sport’s value beyond traditional sponsorship.

NEW PLATFORMS ARE CREATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF NASCAR FANS

Gaming, esports, creators and interactive experiences are creating new ways for consumers to discover NASCAR and build relationships with the sport. These platforms are particularly effective at reaching younger and more global audiences while creating pathways toward deeper fandom, viewership and live-event attendance.

  • New entry points: Gaming, creators, esports and interactive experiences are central to NASCAR’s strategy to meet consumers where they already spend their time.

  • NASCAR World on Roblox: The experience has generated 180 million visits from more than 37 million unique users year to date in 2026 – an average of nearly five visits per user. With more than 60% of users under age 18 and 80% living outside North America, the platform is creating a repeat-engagement pipeline for younger and global audiences, not simply a one-time point of discovery. Since its 2025 launch, NASCAR World has reached more than 55 million unique users.

  • eNASCAR growth: Viewership for the eNASCAR Coca-Cola iRacing Series is up more than 18% year-to-date versus the comparable period in 2025.

  • A connected gaming ecosystem: NASCAR’s presence spans NASCAR 25, iRacing, eNASCAR, The Crew Motorfest, Forza Motorsport, Rocket League, Fortnite Rocket Racing, creator-led competitions and immersive fan experiences — creating pathways from discovery to deeper fandom, viewership and live-event attendance.

Together, the results underscore NASCAR’s ability to maintain broad national reach while attracting younger and more global audiences, strengthening fan engagement and driving growth across the live, digital and consumer experience.

Independent research also points to the commercial value of that fan engagement. According to MRI-Simmons’ July 2026 Sports Fan Study, approximately 83 million U.S. adults identify as NASCAR fans, with roughly 21 million saying they are more engaged with the sport now than in previous seasons. Sixty-three percent of NASCAR fans say sponsors contribute more to the fan experience than sponsors do in other sports, while NASCAR fans are 56% more likely than the average adult to purchase from brands that sponsor their favorite athlete, team or league.

The Chase presented by Mobil 1 kicks off this weekend from Darlington Raceway with the Cook Out Southern 500 on Sunday, September 6 at 5 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio and HBO Max.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States and owner of 14 of the nation’s major motorsports entertainment facilities. NASCAR sanctions races in three national series (NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series™, and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series™), four international series (NASCAR Brasil Series, NASCAR Canada Series, NASCAR Euro Series, NASCAR Mexico Series), four regional series (ARCA Menards Series, ARCA Menards Series East & West and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour) and a local grassroots series (NASCAR Local Racing Series). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. NASCAR also owns Motor Racing Network, Racing Electronics, and ONE DAYTONA. Based in Daytona Beach, Florida, with offices in five cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races annually in 11 countries and more than 30 U.S. states.

For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, X and Facebook.

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