The INDYCAR Grand Prix of Sonoma, the final race of the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series season, tied as the fourth-most-watched live INDYCAR telecast on NBCSN in the past nine years and drew the most viewers of any INDYCAR telecast on NBCSN in 2018.

According to data provided by The Nielsen Company and Adobe Analytics, the total audience delivery for the Sept. 16 telecast was 638,000 average viewers. The race, won by Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay, featured the battle for the season championship. Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing finished second to Hunter-Reay to clinch his fifth series title.

The average viewership for the Sonoma race was up 19 percent from the 2017 season finale and tied the Pocono 2015 telecast for fourth most among the more than 100 live INDYCAR telecasts on NBSCN since it acquired partial broadcast rights in 2009. It was also the highest-viewed NBCSN telecast since the 2016 Mid-Ohio race averaged 934,000 viewers when it was simulcast on NBCSN and CNBC. The 2016 Mid-Ohio race telecast still stands as the most-watched ever on NBCSN.

NBC Sports Group becomes the exclusive media rights holder for the series starting in 2019. The agreement includes eight races broadcast on NBC, including the 103rd Indianapolis 500, with the remaining nine races on NBCSN.

Team Penske commemorates 500th motorsports win with video

Cars owned by Roger Penske have now won 500 races in all disciplines. The milestone victory was taken by Brad Keselowski in Sunday’s NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Of the 500 wins, 203 have come in Indy car competition, including a record 17 at the Indianapolis 500. Will Power was the latest to give Penske an Indy 500 victory, this past May.

To commemorate the amazing feat of 500 overall wins, Team Penske produced a video filled with archival footage in all of its endeavors and narrated by Mike Tirico of NBC Sports. Watch it here: