Free from NCAA Tournament competition, the IndyCar season opener hit a five-year high last weekend.

IndyCar Series racing from St. Petersburg (FL) earned a 1.0 final rating and 1.4 million viewers on ABC, up 67% in ratings and 56% in viewership from last year (0.6, 891K) and up 67% and 61%, respectively, from 2014 (0.6, 866K). Prior to this year, the race aired opposite the NCAA Tournament.

Juan Pablo Montoya‘s win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched IndyCar opener in five years, since ABC drew a 1.2 and 1.8 million for the same St. Petersburg race. Outside of the Indianapolis 500 and its qualifying races, no IndyCar telecast has had a larger audience since Texas in 2013 — the series’ first and only primetime appearance on ABC (1.395M to 1.391M).

Head-to-head, IndyCar topped the NHL on NBC by 25% in ratings (1.0 to 0.8) and 26% in viewership (1.4M to 1.1M).

(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily)