TV Ratings for Lowe’s: NBC Sports rain-delayed coverage of the NASCAR Winston Cup UAW-GM Quality 500 from Lowe’ Motor Speedway in Charlotte earned an impressive 5.0 national rating/10 share (3:33 p.m. – 7:32 p.m. ET), NASCAR’ highest rating ever against professional football, according to Nielsen Media Research. The 5.0 rating is all the more significant as the race also faced 2-1/2 hours of head-to-head competition from the deciding game of baseball’ American-League Championship Series in which Anaheim eliminated Minnesota 13-5. The previous NASCAR rating high against a professional football telecast came last week at Talladega, when the race earned a 4.8/11. The 5.0 represents a 127 percent increase over last year’ race, which was moved to TNT due to NBC’ war coverage and generated a converted national household rating of a 2.2/5. The UAW-GM Quality 500 steadily built its audience to a peak of 6.3/11 at 7 p.m. ET when rookie Jamie McMurray took the checkered flag in only his second Winston Cup race start. Through 14 telecasts (excluding the Daytona 500), NASCAR Winston Cup coverage on NBC and TNT has produced a 4.3 national rating/10 share, an eight percent increase over last year’ record breaking average of a 4.0/11 (excluding the primetime Pepsi 400) through the comparable weekend.(NBC PR)(10-15-2002)
