According to figures released by the FOX network, the Dodge Charger 500 at Darlington Raceway was the highest-rated prime time NASCAR event ever broadcast by the network. The race had an average viewership of 9.3 million, up 10% over FOX’s one previous primetime race broadcast so far this season. The 5.6 rating and 11 share easily won the Saturday evening ratings war for the network over CBS (4.7), ABC (4.7) and NBC (4.5). The race also posted a 3.6 rating (13 share) among the critical prime time demographic of Adults 18-49, placing FOX first for the night by a wide margin. ABC was second in that demographic with a 2.4 rating, and CBS was third with a 1.9. The Diamond Hill Plywood 200 earned a 1.6 rating on FX, up from last year’s number of 1.3 on the same network. The 1.6 rating for the DHP 200 is seven percent higher than the 1.5 average for all nine NASCAR Busch Series prime time cable events in 2004.(Darlington Raceway)(5-11-2005)
