Denny Hamlin’s Darlington win sees NASCAR experience significant improvement in viewership

Joe Gibbs Racing veteran Denny Hamlin made back-to-back trips to the victory lane, after winning the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway. Fox Sports reported a notable uptick in viewership for the Throwback weekend event, with the race peaking at over 3 million viewers.

The Goodyear 400 was aired on FS1, with William Byron dominating the race after starting on pole position. Despite starting third, Hamlin wasn't in contention for the win, but a timely caution gave the #11 JGR team the track position and a quick pitstop vaulted him to the lead for the overtime restart.

Fox Sports PR announced that the Goodyear 400 was the most-watched cable telecast on Sunday. The Throwback weekend race drew 2.517 million viewers, with a peak audience of 3.1 million. It marked a 15% increase over last year’s equivalent FS1 race at Martinsville (2.19 million) and a 5% uptick over FS1’s 2024 average viewership. It was down from last year's Goodyear 400 viewership, which stood at 2.63 million.

Denny Hamlin also won the race prior to last weekend at Martinsville, which drew 2.4 million viewers on FS1, up 11% from the previous year's figures. It was also the most-watched cable telecast on race day, with viewership peaking at 2.85 million.

Fox Sports will broadcast the next five race weekends before Amazon Prime takes over coverage duties. This weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway airs on FS1 on April 13, followed by an off weekend for the Cup Series, while the Xfinity and Truck Series head to Rockingham Speedway.

After Bristol, the Cup Series returns to Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, with the race broadcast on FOX. The following events at Texas (May 4), Kansas (May 11), and the All-Star Race weekend at North Wilkesboro (May 18) will all air on FS1.

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Denny Hamlin elaborates on his money stop on Darlington

Although William Byron led 243 laps at Darlington and Ryan Blaney appeared to be the fastest driver, Denny Hamlin and the #11 JGR team aced the final pitstop to win the race. Hamlin jumped from third to first during the final round of stops and went on to take the checkered flag.

Hamlin expanded on the subtle details that helped him snatch the lead off pit road. While acknowledging his pit crew's role, he highlighted that he also had to gain time while rolling on the pit road and while entering and exiting his pit stall. He said that the small margins gained in each of these areas ultimately made the difference.

"So I knew coming in third I was going to have to have my best roll of the day. That is my fastest pit roll, my fastest speed into the box. I needed to put it perfectly on the sign so they don't have to adjust," Denny Hamlin said [via Speedway Digest].

"I needed to stack 10ths and 10ths and 10ths on my side of the job. Once I get into the pit stall, they drop the right side. I know I did a good job on my metrics, hopefully I didn't speed. But then when they dropped the jack on the right, I know right then, Oh, boy, this is going to be a heater," he added.

After taking the checkered flag, Denny Hamlin thanked his pit crew and his rival Kyle Larson, whose late-race incident triggered the overtime restart. The #11 Joe Gibbs Racing driver secured his 56th career victory and his first consecutive wins since 2012.