The FOX broadcast of the Samsung 500 held Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway generated a 5.4 overnight national television rating according to Nielsen Media Research, making the Nextel Cup Series race the highest-rated sporting event of the weekend. The Samsung 500 easily outdistanced Sunday’s key NBA match-up between the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, which garnered a 2.9 rating on ABC and ranked second for the weekend in the overnights. Saturday’s regional Major League Baseball on FOX was third with a 2.6 overnight rating. The 5.4 rating is a 13% increase from last year’s Samsung 500 overnight rating, which also was broadcast by FOX. The strong rating came despite the Samsung 500, which aired from 2-6pm/et, competing in the same time slots against key games for the NBA and the National Hockey League playoffs. The 5.4 already matches the final rating of last year’s Samsung 500, which is an extremely promising sign as NASCAR ratings traditionally see a modest to substantial gain from the overnights to the final ratings.(TMS PR), last years overnight was a 4.8 with the final a 5.4, for more on TV Ratings, see my 2007 TV Ratings page and chart.(4-16-2007)
