Kenny Wallace didn’t hold back this week when he dropped a short but sharp take on social media — and fans of Formula 1 might not be too thrilled about it.
The former NASCAR driver turned broadcaster made a cheeky comment that’s now stirring up debate between racing’s biggest fanbases. With NASCAR’s 2025 season off to a hot start and its numbers climbing, Wallace’s post comes at a time when the sport seems to be reclaiming its spotlight.
NASCAR Is Quietly Winning the Viewership Race
While everyone’s been busy talking about European circuits, champagne sprays, and the glitz of Formula 1, NASCAR’s been quietly stacking up some serious viewership wins.
The Bristol race, which saw a slight dip compared to last year’s FOX broadcast showing, still pulled 2.05 million viewers on FS1—more than double the number of people who tuned in to watch IndyCar that same day, and significantly more than F1’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. That’s no small deal.
Viewership for the race at Martinsville went up by 11% over the 2024 version. FS1 pulled in 2.4 million viewers per minute. That’s solid. And the Xfinity Series in not lagging behind too. It’s on a wild run of 10 straight races pulling in over a million viewers each. The last time that happened was in 2017.
The NASCAR comeback at Rockingham drew 1.053 million viewers—just a little behind the F1 race at Jeddah. A second-tier NASCAR race almost outdrew a Formula 1 Grand Prix. In the US at least, stock cars are flexing hard.
Although F1 is not doing too bad, in terms of viewership in the USA. Their Saudi Arabia race pulled in about 1.46 million US viewers, which is solid considering three of their first five races aired at night. But NASCAR is still ahead, in this race. Especially the Cup Series, which is miles ahead in the US.
Kenny Wallace Isn’t Holding Back
Now, back to Wallace.
His little roast wasn’t just a dig—it was a reminder. A lot of F1 fans love to bash NASCAR. Call it outdated, boring, slow and a place with no technical freedom. However, Wallace reminded everyone that F1 might be flashy, but in the US, NASCAR is the sport with the deeper roots, bigger numbers, and loyal fans who actually show up.
In a post on X, he basically said people hate whoever is on the top of the leader board. “People like to bully people on top. @NASCAR is the leader in all motorsports TV. (Not even close). However, it makes people feel good to bully who’s on top.”
And with NASCAR mixing things up by adding Amazon and TNT to their broadcast family, there’s a whole new era coming. It’s a bit of a gamble, but it might just pay off big-time.
So, if you’re one of those people who’ve been sleeping on NASCAR, you might want to wake up. Wallace and the numbers are both screaming the same thing—NASCAR’s not just alive, it is in fact thriving.