Big TV viewership shows why NASCAR wants to stay in Indianapolis

If you wanted to know how NASCAR justifies keeping the Brickyard 400 on its schedule despite poor racing, Tuesday's TV numbers tell you all you need to know.

Sunday's return to the Brickyard 400 drew 3.63 million viewers, the most a NASCAR race at Indianapolis has gotten since the last race on the oval in 2020.

While the race was down from the last time the Cup Series raced on the oval, it was up 28 percent in viewership from the 2023 race on the road course.

The allure of the Indianapolis oval has always been more attractive than its road course counterpart. While it's true that Indianapolis is highly regarded in any capacity, the oval surface is perhaps the most famous racetrack in the world, and any race run on the oval will always dwarf the attention given to a race on the Indy road course.

Indianapolis was, of course, built for IndyCars, so it's no surprise that the racing at the Brickyard was once again mediocre on Sunday. Stock cars don't come to Indianapolis for the racing product, but rather, it's Indianapolis.

The Brickyard 400 is similar to college football games being played in venues such as Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park. The product on the field is the same as always, but the fact that the game is being played in a historic venue will win over more fans than a regular football stadium.

The Indianapolis oval may not produce thrilling racing, but if NASCAR wants to get back to the levels of popularity it saw at its peak, choosing to race at the greatest track in the world is imperative.