Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

First NASCAR race on Amazon streaming cost it older audience

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated May 29, 2025 3:29 PM ET

The Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night became the first ever NASCAR Cup Series race to be broadcast exclusively on a streaming service, and whether or not it was a success depends upon who you ask. One segment of the population seemed a lot less thrilled about it than others.

Amazon Prime was the exclusive carrier of the Coca-Cola 600, which was won by Ross Chastain. The stream drew around 2.6 million viewers, according to reports.

The viewership numbers were down a bit from last year’s Coca-Cola 600 on Fox, which drew 3.1 million viewers and was cut short by rain.

Like we have seen with NFL streaming broadcasts, NASCAR traded older viewership for younger viewership. As Michael Mulvihill of Fox pointed out, this year’s Coca-Cola 600 gained nearly 150,000 viewers in the 18-54 age demographic and lost a whopping 730,000 in the 55-and-older demographic.

This has become predictable spin anytime an event moves to a streamer. It’s easy to look younger when you lose 5 older people for every 1 younger viewer you gain.

Coke 600 Year-Year
18-54: Gained 147k viewers
55+: Lost 730k https://t.co/gdAQx0i4LX
— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) May 28, 2025

The obvious positive for NASCAR is that they drew an overall younger audience. That is the always the goal, as younger people will, in theory, be fans for longer.

Of course, there is a delicate balance between attracting new, younger viewers and alienating the 55-and-older demographic that make up a large portion of your established and most loyal fan base. That is something NASCAR — like all other professional sports organizations — will have to try to balance in the years to come.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: