Nascar Coke Zero Sugar 400 Boasts Huge Viewership Increase After Shockingly Brilliant Race

The NASCAR Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona not only served up a heart-stopping race but also captured the attention of millions, bringing with it a huge viewership spike for the event.

Broadcast on NBC and streamed on Peacock, the NASCAR Cup Series race witnessed high-speed drama, huge crashes, and an emotional win as Harrison Burton took his first career win in the series.

This, unsurprisingly, seemed to resonate strongly with the audience.

According to the latest statistics, the Total Audience Delivery (TAD) for the event reached an impressive 3.6 million viewers, peaking at 4.2 million between 10:45 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. ET.

This surge in numbers represented a 6% increase compared to last year’s race, making it the most-watched Daytona event since 2021. Such figures suggest a resurgence in viewer interest and a revitalized enthusiasm for the sport.

The race itself was nothing short of dramatic, with Burton clinching an emotional first victory.

“I cried the whole victory lap,” Burton admitted. “Obviously got fired from this job. I wanted to do everything for the Wood Brothers that I could,” he added, acknowledging the milestone 100th win for the Wood Brothers team. His win not only marks a significant personal achievement but also secures him a spot in the upcoming Playoffs.

“We’re in the Playoffs now. Let’s go to Darlington and see what happens.”

Burton’s victory seemed to touch many, including his family who shared in the rollercoaster of emotions.

“My mom. My dad was pretty calm on the radio,” Burton said. “My fiancée and mom are just crying. All of those people have been with me in the worst days of my life, best days. Good to get DEX Imaging to Victory Lane and get them another best day.”

Despite missing out on the win, Kyle Busch provided a glimpse into the intense race environment.

“Just finished second. It’s all good. We were really, really, really lucky tonight to miss a few of them crashes. All good. Just real proud of everybody, Randall, all the guys at RCR, ECR did a great job, brought a fast car. Was hoping we could get those three No. 8 specials on Monday, get some chicken tenders rolling, but wasn’t meant to be. We’ll take this. Got a good little stretch going with these last three weeks, and hope we can do what we need to do next week.”

NASCAR Cup Series: Current Standings

1. Tyler Reddick – 823 points
2. Kyle Larson – 806 points
3. Chase Elliott – 805 points
4. Ryan Blaney – 755 points
5. William Byron – 743 points
6. Christopher Bell – 737 points
7. Brad Keselowski – 718 points
8. Denny Hamlin – 712 points
9. Martin Truex Jr – 695 points
10. Ty Gibbs – 676 points
11. Chris Buescher – 658 points
12. Alex Bowman – 648 points
13. Bubba Wallace – 637 points
14. Ross Chastain – 631 points
15. Joey Logano – 586 points
16. Kyle Busch – 552 points
17. Daniel Suárez – 527 points
18. Chase Briscoe – 514 points
19. Austin Cindric – 486 points
20. Todd Gilliland – 480 points
21. Carson Hocevar – 467 points
22. Michael McDowell – 459 points
23. Josh Berry – 448 points
24. Noah Gragson – 426 points
25. Ricky Stenhouse Jr – 404 points
26. Erik Jones – 381 points
27. Ryan Preece – 368 points
28. Daniel Hemric – 365 points
29. Austin Dillon – 360 points
30. Justin Haley – 356 points
31. John H. Nemechek – 343 points
32. Corey LaJoie – 335 points
33. Zane Smith – 316 points
34. Harrison Burton – 306 points
35. Kaz Grala – 166 points
36. Cody Ware – 98 points
37. Joey Hand – 43 points
38. Jimmie Johnson – 39 points
39. Derek Kraus – 32 points
40. David Ragan – 17 points
41. Kamui Kobayashi – 8 points
42. Will Brown – 6 points
43. Cam Waters – 2 points