COTA race viewership exploded to ‘peak’ 4,870,000 on FOX as Kyle Busch, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and William Byron’s fight took center stage

The NASCAR Cup Series race at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) saw a major spike in viewership as Christopher Bell, Kyle Busch, William Byron, and Tyler Reddick battled for victory. The intense competition resulted in peak TV ratings for FOX, making it the most-watched sports event of the weekend.

The 2025 EchoPark Texas Grand Prix at COTA drew an average of 4,132,000 viewers on FOX, a 25 percent increase from last year’s race. The broadcast peaked at 4,870,000 viewers between 6:45 and 7:00 PM ET, as Christopher Bell moved past Kyle Busch. NASCAR’s early-season viewership is also up six percent, with an average of 5,270,000 viewers across the first three races.

FOX Sports shared the race’s impressive viewership statistics on X. The stats were also mentioned in the same tweet in the form of a photograph. The caption read:

"FOX NASCAR delivers more than 4 million viewers for Christopher Bell's victory at COTA 🏁"

Christopher Bell secured his second consecutive win of the 2025 season after passing Kyle Busch late in the race. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who won the previous week in Atlanta, became the first Cup Series driver to clinch back-to-back wins since Chris Buescher in 2023.

NASCAR's official handle also shared a tweet celebrating Bell's win of the race with a photograph of him, that read winner, all over it. It has a viewership of over 160k. The tweet was captioned:

"Back-to-back Bell! @CBellRacing wins at @NASCARatCOTA!"

Busch had led most of the race, leading a race-high 42 laps and looking poised to end his 59-race winless streak. However, Bell’s fresher tires gave him an advantage, allowing him to overtake Busch with five laps remaining. Despite holding the lead, Bell had to defend against Byron and Reddick in the closing moments.

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Kyle Busch reflects on intense battle with Bell

After the race, Kyle Busch took to social media to share his thoughts on the battle with Christopher Bell. In a post on X, he acknowledged last year’s incident while maintaining a lighthearted tone, writing:

"Last year the #20 was the butthead. This year it was me. GG @CBellRacing."

Busch had been determined to break his long winless streak and was in contention for most of the race. However, Bell’s fresher tires allowed him to make the pass without contact. Reflecting on the clean move, Bell added:

"I didn’t want to do that again. And I wasn’t going to put myself in jeopardy to make contact and ruin his race."

Despite finishing fifth, Busch secured his first top-five result of the season. Meanwhile, Bell’s back-to-back victories have set his early-season momentum into motion as the Cup Series moves to Phoenix Raceway for the next race.

The NASCAR Cup Series now heads to Phoenix Raceway for the Shriners Children’s 500, where Christopher Bell is the defending winner. The race is scheduled on Sunday, March 9, at 3:30 PM ET, and will air on FS1.