This year’s NASCAR’s flagship event, the Daytona 500, drew in an average of 5.96 million viewers on Fox. The viewers for the 2024 edition of the Daytona 500 on Fox only topped the 2021 edition as the lowest rated and least watched edition of the race. However, despite the lower number, the Daytona 500 was still the most-watched sporting event of Presidents Day weekend, topping Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game on TNT, TBS, and truTV, reveals GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s latest report, “Post Event Analysis – Daytona 500 2024,” reveals that the estimated annual sponsorship value of the event was $398.37 million. The 2024 Daytona 500 averaged 5.96 million viewers on Fox. Goodyear has the most lucrative sponsorship deal with NSCAR, worth an estimated total of $125 million.

Olivia Snooks, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “This year’s Daytona 500 viewership figures were disappointing, especially as this event is supposed to be drawing in the highest viewership of the NASCAR season every year. Viewing figures have been decreasing for several years now, which is disheartening to see. The Daytona 500 2024 was postponed a day due to rain, which ultimately may have hindered its poor viewing figures.”

The event’s most lucrative deal was with Goodyear, the tyre manufacturer, which has been a long-term partner of NASCAR. It is important to note that for the Daytona 500, there are brands that sponsor the NASCAR Cup Series. Therefore, the Daytona 500 is included in this deal and a few brands that sponsor the Daytona International Speedway.

Snooks continues: “Some of the top automotive brands are included in the 2024 Daytona 500’s sponsorship portfolio, including Goodyear, Chevrolet, Toyota, and Ford. This is unsurprising given the NASCAR Cup Series is NASCAR’s top racing series.”

NASCAR and its racetrack never released an official attendance number; however, it is believed that the 2024 edition of the race was a sellout. As many as 150,000 fans were believed to be in attendance. Back in November 2023, the Daytona International Speedway announced that the 2024 Daytona 500 grandstands and camping were sold out, three months in advance of the NASCAR Cup Series opener.

Snooks concludes: “Despite the disappointing viewership the Daytona 500 experienced, which was majorly affected by the rain, it was promising that thousands of fans were in attendance. Over recent years, a few Daytona 500 races have been rain-affected, and ultimately have had an effect on viewership. With that being said, hopefully, the sell-out crowd is a good indication that this year’s NASCAR Cup Series will be a success and continue to attract thousands of fans.”