Michael McDowell, Ford # 34 Love’s Travel Stops driver, celebrates on the victory track after winning the NASCAR Cup Series 63rd Annual Daytona 500 at the Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2021 in Daytona Beach,
Jared C. Tilton | Getty Images
The rain continues to damage the NASCAR main event.
Sunday’s 2021 Daytona 500, impacted by a nearly six-hour rain delay, drew an average of 4.83 million viewers, Fox Sports confirmed to CNBC. It marks the Daytona 500 with fewer views in race history. About 7 million spectators watched the 2020 event.
Front Row Motorsports’ Michael McDowell recorded his first career win, winning the Harley J. Earl trophy. He became only the eighth driver to record his first race career victory. Chase Elliott of Hendrick Motorsports took second.
Sports Media Watch reported that the event drew about 8 million viewers before the delay, which occurred around 3 pm.
Last year’s Daytona 500 also suffered a rain delay, which took the event to a second day. The ratings also suffered, and the 2020 race averaged 7.3 million viewers on both days. The 2019 and 2018 races averaged around 9 million viewers, but that has decreased compared to the 11 million viewers that the race average in 2017 and 2016.
The flames explode during an accident on the last lap that consumes several cars during the Daytona 500 on February 14, 2021 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach. Fl.
David Rosenblum | Sportswire icon | Getty Images
The 2021 Daytona 500 suffered a premature 16 car accident after the first 15 laps before the time delay. NASCAR resumed the race at around 9 pm Eastern time. It concluded shortly after midnight.
The 2021 Daytona 500 produced some early stories entering the race, especially around the 23XI Racing team with owners Michael Jordan, Denny Hamlin and driver Bubba Wallace. Toyota’s 23rd car, Wallace, failed pre-race inspections and was forced to start at the rear.
Wallace made history as the first black driver to lead a lap (129) in the race. Wallace was involved in the last accident with a lap to finish and finished 17th.
Hamlin, who is a Joe Gibbs Racing driver, also started at the rear – voluntarily. Hamlin tried to win his third consecutive Daytona 500, which would have been a record, but finished fifth.
NASCAR will try to recover this weekend with the Daytona Road Course event, which takes place from February 19th to 21st on Fox Sports’ FS1 channel.
Alvin Kamara # 41 of the New Orleans Saints runs the ball during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Wesley Hitt | Getty Images
NFL and NASCAR
Meanwhile, NASCAR also announced that New Orleans Saints star Alvin Kamara has joined as a car sponsor.
Kamara’s The Big Squeezy juice bar franchise signed as a sponsor of JD Motorsports Ryan Vargas’ Chevrolet No. 6 car during Saturday’s Super Start Batteries 188 race at the Daytona International Speedway track.
Sponsorship terms were not provided.
Kamara said sponsoring the car was an opportunity he could not miss. With his logo on both sides of Vargas’ car, Kamara can build brand awareness for his juice bar franchises, which are located mainly in Louisiana.
“I did a little research on Ryan as an individual and JD Motorsports and was impressed by what I read,” said Kamara in a statement. “I am excited to play a small role in what they are already going through.”
Kamara, who finished the 2020 National Football League in second place among running backs with 16 touchdowns, signed a $ 75 million five-year extension with the team last September.