Indy 500 sees spike in viewership thanks to delay

Field Level Media|published: Wed 29th May, 13:43 2024

Team Penske driver Josef Newgarden (2) eats a hash brown between portraits Monday, May 27, 2024, after winning the 108th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The Indy 500 saw its best viewership in three years thanks to a rain delay that pushed the end of the race into primetime on Sunday, according to numbers released by NBC.

The telecast drew 5.34 million viewers from across all NBC platforms, up 8 percent vs. 2023 and 10 percent over 2022, when the 12:45 p.m. ET start was pushed back four hours by inclement weather. The audience peaked at 6.46 million viewers at the end of the race.

The race finally started at 4:45 p.m. ET

Josef Newgarden outdueled Pato O'Ward late to take the checkered flag for his second consecutive Indy 500 win. The two exchanged the lead repeatedly in the final five laps in one of the most dramatic finishes in recent race history.

The rain delay also opened the race to be carried live in the Indianapolis market, only the fourth time the Indy 500 has been carried live locally since 1950, Sports Business Journal reported.

--Field Level Media