Daytona 500 market report: North Carolina’s Greensboro surpasses South Carolina’s Greenville as FOX’s top-rated city for the crown jewel race

NASCAR returned to Daytona International Speedway last Sunday for the 67th edition of the prestigious Daytona 500. The live broadcast reportedly drew over 17 million viewers, with Greensboro, North Carolina, surpassing Greenville in South Carolina in overall viewership.

Sunday's Great American Race also hit a milestone by securing a 10.0 rating, a feat that hasn't been achieved in nearly 20 years for the 500-mile season opener. As reported by Sports Business Journal's renowned journalist Adam Stern, the top five cities who tuned into FOX Network to watch the race were from the following cities, as per their ratings:

1. Greensboro (North Carolina) - 8.8
2. Greenville (South Carolina - 7.1
3. Indianapolis (Indiana) - 6.8
4. Knoxville (Tennessee) - 6.8
5. Dayton (Ohio) - 6.1

This is a significant milestone for NASCAR, as the organization recently secured a $7.7 billion media rights deal starting in the 2025 season, spanning seven years. Additionally, the 2025 Daytona 500 featured several historic moments, including US President Donald Trump taking laps around the 2.5-mile speedway before the race. Trump also visited team garages, interacted with drivers, and shared his thoughts in an interview with FOX Sports' Jamie Little.

"I think it's fantastic. It's great for the country, and our country is doing well again, and we have spirit all over the world again. We brought it back, and it's been less than four weeks. So you'll see what we do, and in a little period of time, it'll only get better. But this is very exciting." the President said

Meanwhile, Hendrick Motorsports' William Byron made history by securing his second consecutive Daytona 500 victory. Skillfully avoiding on-track incidents, he crossed the finish line in P1. At 27, Byron became the youngest driver to win multiple Daytona 500s, surpassing HMS Vice Chairman and NASCAR legend Jeff Gordon.

William Byron opens up on eclipsing Jeff Gordon’s Daytona 500 milestone

HMS ace William Byron's weekend at Daytona started out tough, however, the #24 driver was headstrong as he powered through the setbacks before securing a historical win for himself and his team. The win did not just make him the youngest driver to have multiple wins at the track, but also marked Hendrick Motorsports' 10th victory in the crown jewel event, more than any other team in NASCAR.

In an interview with Shannon Spake, Byron shared that the 'flames' of being in the iconic #24 Chevy kept him going throughout the weekend.

"I just think about how things always have a reason and happen for a reason, I feel like just seeing that race yesterday, we talked about it on the grid, but how cool it would be to pull into victory lane with that car because it looks so... it was like a new version of what the #24 has always been with the flames... THAT fueled me all week," William Byron told NASCAR reporter Shannon Spake.

The Cup Series will next head to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Ambetter Health 400 this coming Sunday. The race is scheduled to start at 3:00 PM Eastern time