NASCAR ratings at Las Vegas post another massive number

It was an awesome weekend for the NASCAR Cup Series at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Josh Berry’s first career win put an exclamation point on it. The ratings report reflected an exciting race in Sin City.

On Tuesday, FOX Sports revealed FS1 received a 1.48 rating and 3.011 million viewers for this past Sunday’s Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas. Adam Stern of The Sports-Business Journal noted that’s the best number for a NASCAR event on the channel since the spring race at Darlington in 2021.

Additionally, FOX Sports made sure to point out some other key accomplishments. The race was up +26 from last year’s FS1 average, and the broadcast peaked at 3,380,000 viewers. It was a huge number for FS1, and it ranked as the channel’s most-watched telecast since last year’s MLB NLCS Game 6 between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers.

That’s a huge win for NASCAR and FOX Sports. Those are some massive numbers for this past weekend’s race, and fans who tuned in were rewarded. Some unexpected names battled for the win in the Pennzoil 400, and Berry’s victory was a wonderful moment for diehard and casual fans alike.

The Hendersonville, Tennessee native was in position to take over this race late at Las Vegas and he made the most of it. Coming out of the final pit stop of the day, Berry was P2. He fought Daniel Suárez for multiple laps before taking the lead. Once he got out front, the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing car took off.

It was a huge moment, and millions tuned in to see the first career win for Berry in the Cup Series, in only his second full-time season. He didn’t win Rookie of the Year in 2024, but Berry’s shown that he more than belongs at the top level in NASCAR. 

Moreover, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took a huge chance on Berry all those years ago. That turned into a full-time Xfinity Series deal. He has raced for Hendrick Motorsports as a replacement driver, Stewart-Haas as a Cup rookie in its final year in business, and now Wood Brothers Racing. 

The Wood Bros didn’t have to wait seven years for another win like they did last time. Harrison Burton won last year at Daytona to make the playoffs. Now, Josh Berry has put them back in Victory Lane in only a handful of races, and we’ll see how many tune in to see if he can make it back-to-back at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

— On3’s Jonathan Howard contributed to this article.