DETROIT (WWJ) - The results are in and the numbers show racing's return to Downtown Detroit is bigger and better than ever before.
The 2023 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear hosted a record-setting weekend over June 2-4, officials said, as approximately 150,000 people attended the three-day event while over a million viewers turned in across multiple platforms.
Returning to the streets of the Motor City after being held in Belle Isle for the last 32 years, organizers say the event's return to downtown sold-out grandstands on Sunday and attendees took advantage of free access provided through the Detroit Grand Prix in Hart Plaza, Spirit Plaza, the Detroit Riverwalk and down Jefferson Avenue.
TV rating came back even more impressive, with Nielsen ratings information clocking total audience delivery (TAD) of 1.098 million viewers across television, digital and out of home viewing.
"With the race televised on NBC and streamed live on Peacock, that total represents an increase of 179% from the 2022 TAD in Detroit when the final INDYCAR race on Belle Isle was broadcast on the USA Network," officials stated.
Sunday’s INDYCAR race saw a .65 national household rating – the second-highest rating for the event since 2014 and more than 40% above the five-year average, organizers continued.
"The Chevrolet INDYCAR Grand Prix had the highest viewership of any sports programming on NBC over the course of the week and the audience reach more than doubled the results of the 2022 Grand Prix," officials added. "This year’s broadcast marked the third-highest viewed NTT INDYCAR SERIES race of 2023 behind the Indianapolis 500 and the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Fla."
The numbers even saw a huge jump in the amount of female viewers, with Detroit race viewership among women increasing more than 273% from last year.
Organizers explained that local viewership bolstered the "strong" national ratings
Viewership and attendance weren't the only numbers that came back surprising -- charitable contributions were also significant.
The event's annual annual fundraiser, the PwC Grand Prixmiere presented by Chevrolet held on Friday evening June 2 at Campus Martius, saw over 500 attendees and raised over $1 million in support of the Belle Isle Conservancy, Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan, Detroit Public Safety Foundation, Detroit 300 Conservancy and the Pope Francis Center in Detroit.
“We want to thank all of our great fans here in Metro Detroit and across Southeast Michigan for their support as we brought the Grand Prix back home to the Streets of the Motor City in 2023,” said Michael Montri, President of the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear. “We saw tremendous interest not only here locally but with viewership and coverage across the country. It was an amazing weekend and a great opportunity for Detroit and our entire region to shine in front of an audience watching all over the world.”
To learn more about the 2023 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear, visit www.DetroitGP.com.