TNT reports strong viewership and streaming gains from NASCAR's inaugural In-Season Challenge

TNT Sports released audience figures indicating that NASCAR’s first In-Season Challenge succeeded in expanding its reach across multiple platforms. Combined viewership on TNT, truTV and HBO Max reached 16.6 million, marking a 43 percent increase compared with the previous season. Excluding the weather-delayed race at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta, average live audiences rose to 2.2 million, surpassing last year’s numbers by more than 2.1 million.

The North Wilkesboro Speedway event on July 19 and the season-ending Brickyard 400 each averaged 2.4 million viewers, with the latter peaking at 3.1 million. HBO Max saw a roughly 50 percent jump in minutes watched per subscriber, and practice-qualifying coverage on truTV and HBO Max grew 17 percent, driven by a 55 percent surge among adults 18-34. The results suggest the new mid-season format resonated with fans and provided momentum for TNT’s return to Cup Series broadcasting.