Where does NASCAR rank on social media's most-followed motorsport series list?

NASCAR is the most popular form of motorsports in America. However, it lacks the global appeal of a few other motor racing series such as Formula 1 and Moto GP, which are true world championship series.

Over the last decade, the advent of social media has transformed most sporting leagues, while simultaneously providing a reliable metric to gauge the fan following of each sport. Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) are the major platforms where fans flock to get the latest information about their favorite league and interact with their icons and fellow fans.

Formula 1, dubbed the pinnacle of motorsports, is the most followed racing series, amassing over 50 million followers on the above-mentioned social media platforms. Its two-wheeler equivalent, MotoGP, ranks second with over 36 million followers.

Despite the lack of its global appeal, NASCAR ranks third on the list, with over 11.6 million followers on these platforms. The premier stock car racing series has seen growth in recent years as it has openly welcomed international racing icons amidst other efforts to popularize the sport.

World Rally Championship (5.95 million) ranks fourth on the list, while Formula Drift (4.36 million) sneaks into the top five rankings. NASCAR's open-wheeler counterpart IndyCar is eighth on the list with 2.1 million followers. The NASCAR-owned IMSA series is eleventh on the list with 1.16 million followers.

Here is the complete list of the most followed motor racing series in the world (compiled by motorsport.com, as of March 2024):

1. Formula 1 - 50.1M
2. MotoGP - 36.6M
3. NASCAR - 11.6M
4. WRC (World Rally Championship) - 5.95M
5. Formula Drift - 4.36M
6. Formula E - 2.92M
7. Formula 2 - 2.41M
8. NTT IndyCar Series - 2.1M
9. WEC (World Endurance Championship) - 1.64M
10. DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) - 1.19M
11. IMSA - 1.16M

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Exploring the most popular NASCAR teams and drivers

Joe Gibbs Racing and Hendrick Motorsports are the dominant organizations in the NASCAR Cup Series, making regular trips to victory lane and collecting championships.

The same trend follows on social media, as JGR and HMS remain the most followed teams on X, Instagram and TikTok. Both organizations boast around 1.4 million followers, as reported by Blackbook Motorsports, before the 2024 season.

Stewart Haas Racing ranks third at 1.1 million followed by reigning champions Team Penske (483,500). Trackhouse Racing (470,800) completes the top five most followed teams.

Two-time Cup champion Kyle Busch is the most-followed Cup driver with 1.8 million followers across X, Instagram and TikTok. Reigning Most Popular Award winner Chase Elliott is second (1.5 million). JGR driver Denny Hamlin (1.1 million) is third, followed by Bubba Wallace (960,100) and Kyle Larson (900,300).

Meanwhile, Xfinity Series driver Hailie Deegan has 1.5 million followers on Instagram and 4.8 million followers across X, Instagram and TikTok. ARCA driver Toni Breidinger has 2.1 million followers on Instagram alone and 4.4 million across three platforms.