Fox recently announced the viewership numbers for this past weekend’s NASCAR races at Daytona, and the standout highlight comes not from the Cup Series but from the Craftsman Truck Series. The Fresh from Florida 250 on Friday night achieved impressive viewership figures not seen in nearly a decade, largely thanks to the return of Tony Stewart. Fans, both old and new, eagerly tuned in to witness the excitement of the race unfold.
Per Fox Sports PR, the race averaged 1.387 million viewers. That number marks a 37% increase over the series’ average. It peaked at just over 1.6 million viewers between 9:45 and 10:00 PM. The Fresh from Florida 250 was the most-watched truck race since 2016.
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The Tony Stewart Effect
Though we may be unable to clearly attribute the success to Tony Stewart, it appears to be an obvious mover in the market. Stewart was trending all week in the racing universe. He had many interviews, and race fans alike were excited about his return. This is especially for older racing fans who may have shied away since his retirement and the departure of his team, Stewart-Haas Racing.
Stewart made his return to racing at last week’s Daytona 500. He did so in debuting the No. 25 RAM car for Kaulig Racing, alongside his other four full-time drivers on the team. Although Stewart would wreck early in the race, many fans tuned in, excited to see the master teach the students, as his competition.
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Unfortunately, it was not as simple as a “master” teaching his “students.” Stewart had not touched a truck in years, nor has he been in any NASCAR vehicle. He has recently been competing in the NHRA (Drag Racing). As Stewart would exit early, the race still became one of the more exciting we have seen in the series recently. Chandler Smith was the driver to take it home for Front Row Motorsports.
Cleetus McFarland Takes Effect?
Feb 13, 2026; Daytona Beach, Florida, USA; Garrett Mitchell a.k.a “Cleetus McFarland” during qualifying for the General Tire 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn ImagesCleetus McFarland Prepares to Race During Dayton
(Cleetus McFarland Prepares to Race During Dayton)
While Stewart deserves much praise for his marketability, he may not have been the sole contributor. Cleetus McFarland has taken the social media universe by storm. He regularly gets well over 1 million views on his YouTube channel, and that surely attracts even more attention when he races at Daytona.
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The YouTube star has 4.64 million subscribers on his channel. He also has 1.6 million followers on Instagram, and well, this probably actually contributed more to viewership than Stewart did. Nonetheless, adding two big names across multiple facets of motorsports will add some positive numbers.
In other news, NASCAR saw a rise in practice viewership, with the Friday session up 62%. Qualifying also reached a 15% increase. This is all good news for the sport.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 19, 2026, where it first appeared in the Racing section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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