The NHRA Texas Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex pulled off a shocking upset on October 13, 2025, drawing 1.872 million viewers on FOX and topping NASCAR‘s Cup Series race from Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which managed only 1.717 million on USA Network. This marked the first time drag racing beat stock car racing in weekly viewership during the 2025 season.
NASCAR’s South Point 400 at Las Vegas dropped 25% from last year’s fall race at the same track, which drew 2.3 million viewers on NBC. The 2025 playoffs are averaging the lowest postseason audience since 2004, with not a single playoff race crossing the two million viewer mark through seven races. Meanwhile, NHRA later confirmed their official numbers showed 2.065 million viewers with a peak audience of 3.631 million, making it the most watched NHRA broadcast in history.
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Why NHRA Won This Battle Against NASCAR
The drag racing series benefited massively from airing on over the air FOX with a 7.2 million viewer NFL lead-in. Many viewers simply left their TVs on after the football game ended, automatically counting toward NHRA’s numbers whether they actively watched or not. NASCAR’s race aired on USA Network, a cable channel requiring subscription access that many younger fans don’t have.
Former NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace addressed the situation directly, stating “What the hell did the NHRA do to get so many views? It was one of the first times in ages they was on prime time and there was a football game going on.” He credited the NFL lead-in and broadcast television exposure for NHRA’s success.
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Fans Blame TV Deal Disaster
NASCAR fans erupted on social media after the ratings dropped. One fan wrote “That’s embarrassing. A great example of why being on broadcast TV will garner more viewers than cable.” The sport’s $7.7 billion TV deal split races across FOX, NBC, USA Network, and Amazon Prime, creating confusion about where to watch each week.
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