Supercars' first night race in Australia for 21 years has delivered a major bump in attendances at Sydney Motorsport Park.
A crowd of 21,220 came through the gates on Saturday night, comfortably topping figures at all NRL games in NSW so far this weekend, including a potential grand final preview between South Sydney and Melbourne on Friday.
It was a jump of almost 7000 spectators on the equivalent day at the Eastern Creek circuit last year.
Combined with Friday night's practice session, the sport had 32,940 fans attend the first round under lights since going to Abu Dhabi in 2011.
You have to go back to 1997 at Melbourne's Calder Park to the last time a Supercars race was held under lights on Australian soil.
Ratings on Foxtel were up by 17 per cent to 175,000, while the Friday night practice session received a massive 120 per cent boost from last year.
The success of the event could pave the way for more races after dark with News Corp reporting the Perth and Tasmanian SuperSprints have been flagged to join Sydney as night events.
"The lights added a new dimension to an already fantastic show for fans," Supercars CEO Sean Seamer said.
"Many people were saying it was the biggest crowd they have seen at Sydney Motorsport Park for a long time.
"There is certainly an appetite to look at doing it here again next year and other potential venues in the future."
Fans were treated to a dramatic spectacle on the track in the one-off race as Red Bull Holden's Shane van Gisbergen pulled off an incredible victory ahead of teammate Jamie Whincup and championship leader Scott McLaughlin.
While disappointed to finish third, McLaughlin said he would like to see more night races after enjoying the experience.
"I think it's just great we're bringing the sport closer to the fans and what they want," the Ford driver said.
"We're an entertainment business and it's fantastic to see."
Van Gisbergen enjoyed the spectacle and it played into his hands being one of the more experienced night drivers in the field.
However, the 2016 champion said the spectacle could benefit from extra lighting.
"I think as a series it was pretty awesome, hopefully we put on a pretty good show but there's a bit to improve," he said.
