NASCAR Xfinity Series rack 1,000,000+ viewers for each of the first 10 races for the first time in 8 years

NASCAR saw a significant increase in viewership during the return of Rockingham Speedway on the Xfinity Series calendar. Per The CW Sports via Jayski, 1,053,000 viewers tuned in to the Xfinity race at The Rock on Saturday (April 19).

The record allowed the series to host 1,000,000 viewers for each of its first 10 races for the first time in eight years. That is about a 19% increase compared to the 10th race last season, held at Dover Motor Speedway. Moreover, the North Carolina Education Lottery 250 was the second-most watched Rockingham race.

The CW Sports, the exclusive broadcaster of the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, shared its record-setting viewership stats from last weekend on X (formerly Twitter).

About a million viewers witnessed Jesse Love cross the line first ahead of Sammy Smith and Parker Retzlaff in a 256-lap contest. However, Love was later disqualified for failing the post-race inspection, giving Smith his first win of the season.

Perhaps one of the biggest contributors to the increased viewership was the return of Kasey Kahne to the NASCAR stage. Kahne, who notably drove for Hendrick Motorsports in the Cup Series in the mid-2010s, piloted the #33 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet at The Rock.

Despite crashing twice with drivers like Katherine Legge, the 45-year-old managed to finish 14th (after Jesse Love's DQ) after starting from a respectable fourth place. He followed Connor Zilisch, who was the race's pole sitter.

The NASCAR Cup Series didn't hold a race at Rockingham Speedway. However, the sanctioning body is considering making a return after over two decades of absence.

---

"Something that we'll put in our consideration set": NASCAR assessing potential Cup return at Rockingham

NASCAR weighed in on the appeal of adding Rockingham Speedway to the Cup Series calendar. Chief venue and racing innovations officer Ben Kennedy said the sanctioning body is looking at how races at The Rock perform before potentially including the track in the foreseeable future.

The NASCAR chief said (via The Charlotte Observer):

"For the Cup schedule, we’re in the process of building out our schedule through 2031 [...] And I think the great part about it is we have great interest for new events in new markets. I would say now more than ever we have to be more thoughtful and strategic in any moves that we make, just because (when) we add a new event, it’s gotta come from somewhere."

He added:

"I would say for Rockingham in particular, like all other tracks and promoters out there, it’s on the radar for sure (for a Cup date). I think it’s something you want to see how it does the first few years, and then if it’s successful, it’s something that we’ll put in our consideration set."

Kasey Kahne driving the #33 Chevrolet at Rockingham Speedway - Source: Getty

The last Cup race at the North Carolina track was held in 2004. Matt Kenseth took victory after leading 259 of 393 laps, beating runner-ups Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray, respectively. Sterling Martin finished fourth, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounding up the top five.