ESPN’s live telecast of the Subway Jalapeno 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Friday night, July 1, earned a 1.6 household coverage rating, averaging 2,085,000 viewers, according to the Nielsen Company. Last year’s July Daytona race, which was won by Dale Earnhardt Jr., driving a Wrangler-sponsored No. 3 in a tribute to his father, earned a 1.9 household coverage rating, averaging 2,575,000 viewers. The telecast was the most-viewed NASCAR Nationwide Series race ever on ESPN. The 2011 race was up from the 1.5 rating for the 2009 race. The most-viewed NASCAR Nationwide Series race ever on cable was the 2010 February race at Daytona, which featured the NASCAR debut of Danica Patrick. That race aired on ESPN2 and earned a 3.2 household coverage rating with more than 4.2 million viewers.(ESPN)(7-5-2011)
