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It’s probably time to end Saturday night NASCAR <\/a>races. I know, it pains me to say it. I love a good Saturday night race.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But, if they race on a Saturday night, and nobody watches \u2026 did they actually race? That’s what the sport is grappling with today, and what they will likely be dealing with for the foreseeable future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There are only three reported Saturday night races next season. Three. That’s low for any 36-race Cup season. Real low.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps it’s three too many. Take a LOOK at the \u2018ol ratings chart for last weekend\u2019s race at Richmond. Make sure your readers are on, because the number is SMALL:<\/p>\n
NASCAR has a Saturday night problem<\/p>\n
Whoaaaaaaaaaaa Nellie! A 0.75? 1.4 million viewers? For a NASCAR CUP race? That’s embarrassing. There’s no other way to spin it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
NASCAR fans have spent all summer bitching and moaning about the playoff format, but why should the sport do a damn thing about it if none of those whiners are watching? <\/a>Seriously? I honestly don’t remember a number that low for a Cup race.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here’s some context: The Friday night truck race reached nearly 500,000 viewers, which was the highest-rated truck race since May. In no world should a truck race be A) hitting highs while the Cup race is reaching lows, and B) only 1,000,000 viewers off from the Cup race.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That’s uncomfortably close, and it shouldn’t happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, the question is, what’s going on here? Is it a NASCAR problem? Is it a Saturday night problem? Next-Gen fatigue? Dog days of summer?\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/nascar_cup_viewership_chart_2015_2024_custom.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe race was good, so you can’t blame Richmond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I’m gonna go with \u2026 Saturday night! Actually, scratch that. Saturday night AND USA Network. You can’t have a Saturday night race and put it on cable and expect a great ROI. You’ve got a lot of things working against you there.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n
A quick scan of the history books tells me that another race with similar disinterest took place at Bristol in 2023. That race scored a 1.56. It was held on a Saturday night, during football season, on USA Network.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Strikes 1, 2 & 3! As you can see from the handy chart I created (with the help of the robots) above, the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season was also bad from start to finish. Not great.\u00a0<\/p>\n