NHRA Gatornationals On FOX Draws Near-Record Ratings

Viewers tuned in in near record numbers for the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series season opener Sunday from Gainesville, Florida, officials from FOX and NHRA have announced.

The Sunday final eliminations broadcast from the non-traditional opener, the 52nd annual Gatornationals, drew an average of 1.026 million viewers and peaked at nearly two million (1.86 million) for the professional final rounds as fans tuned into watch Matt Smith, Greg Anderson, and J.R. Todd collect victories, all capped by Josh Hart’s incredible triumph in his Top Fuel debut. The average viewership was 27-percent higher than last year’s average raceday ratings, making it one of FOX’s best performances for an NHRA event since February 2017 and the third most-watched NHRA event all-time on FOX or its FS1 subsidiary.

“We were thrilled with the success of the television program at the Gatornationals,” said Steve Reintjes, NHRA vice president of broadcasting. “We saw a 27-percent increase in viewership from last year, and we are confident our viewership will continue to grow. The NHRA and FOX partnership allows us to deliver high-quality racing coverage to our loyal NHRA fans.”