The Firestone Grand Prix from St. Petersburg drew in high television ratings over the weekend, showing a large improvement over IndyCar’s viewership from recent years.
The total number of viewers via NBC and through the network’s Peacock streaming service was calculated to be just short of 1.5 million people, an 11-year high for any race other than the Indianapolis 500.
Race viewership was up 15% over the St. Petersburg race from last year, and was also up 53% over last year’s season-opener from Barber Motorsports Park.
The added numbers can be partially attributed to the fact that the race was broadcast on over-the-air television via NBC, but is also reflective of the sport’s growth.
High profile drivers that have joined the series recently, such as Romain Grosjean and Jimmie Johnson, have surely also helped viewership.
TV ratings were not the only visible marker of the increased interest, as series officials have said that there were upwards of 200,000 fans at the track over the course of the three-day weekend.
Fans were packed throughout the entire grounds, with many standing five people deep at the fencing in order to get a glimpse of cars driving past at high speed.
There was also a fan festival held in one of St. Petersburg city parks on Saturday evening, which featured both cars and drivers and gave people not attending the race a chance to meet and greet with a good part of the field.
With 14 of the season’s 17 races being shown on NBC this year, IndyCar is hoping to continue the high-viewership trend right through the season.
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