2014 NASCAR TV Ratings

• Greensboro Leads ESPN’s NASCAR Ratings for 2014 Season: For the seventh time in eight years, the Greensboro, N.C., television market led the nation’s metered markets with the highest average rating for ESPN’s 17 weeks of NASCAR Sprint Cup telecasts, according to Nielsen Media. The 2014 season concluded Nov. 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The Greensboro market averaged an 8.5 rating for the 17 NASCAR Sprint Cup races on ESPN’s schedule (including three Saturday night races that aired on ABC), edging out Greenville, S.C., (8.4) for the top spot. Indianapolis was third with a 7.7 average rating, followed by Birmingham, Ala., at 6.3 and Charlotte, N.C., at 6.2. Rounding out the top 10 markets were Raleigh-Durham, N.C., 6.0; Richmond, Va., 5.8; Knoxville, Tenn., and Nashville, Tenn., tied for eighth at 5.5; and Orlando, Fla., Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla., and Norfolk, Va., tied for 10^th at 5.1.
  Over the eight years of ESPN’s NASCAR TV contract, which expired at the end of this season, Greensboro led the nation with the highest average rating every year but 2009, when Knoxville, Tenn., took the top spot. Greensboro slipped to fifth that year but bounced back the following year and led every year afterward.
  The Greensboro market also led the nation with the highest average rating this year for the 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, averaging an 8.2 rating. Greenville, S.C., was again second at 7.7, with Indianapolis (6.6), Charlotte and Raleigh-Durham (tied at 6.0) completing the top five.
  ESPN averaged a 2.9 U.S. household rating for its 17-race NASCAR Sprint Cup schedule for the fourth straight year in 2014, while the Chase averaged a 2.7 U.S. household rating for the third straight year.(ESPN)(11-20-2014)
• Homestead TV Ratings: ESPN’s live telecast of the Ford Ecoboost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 16, the final race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, had a rise in viewership for the second straight year, leading to an increase in overall viewership during the 10 races of the Chase. The Miami event averaged 5,223,000 viewers, up from 5,119,000 for last year’s race and 4,769,000 for the race in 2012, according to Nielsen Media. The race telecast earned a 3.1 U.S. household rating, the same as last year, but up from a 3.0 rating in 2012. The 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup averaged 4,408,000 viewers, up from 4,283,000 for last year’s Chase. The 10 races averaged a 2.7 U.S. rating in both years. For the Miami race, Greensboro, N.C., led the nation’s 56 metered markets with a 9.9 rating, followed by Greenville, S.C., at 9.0 and Indianapolis at 8.9. Raleigh-Durham, N.C., (7.6) and Charlotte, N.C., (7.2) were fourth and fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Richmond, Va., 6.7; Knoxville, Tenn., 6.6; Norfolk, Va., 5.9; and a tie at 5.5 among Jacksonville, Fla., Dayton, Ohio, Birmingham, Ala., and Tampa-St.Petersburg, Fla.(ESPN)(11-18-2014)
• Talladega TV Ratings UPDATE: ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, Oct. 19, earned a 2.7 U.S. household rating, averaging 4,328,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. Last year’s race earned a 3.1 rating and averaged 4,916,000 viewers. Nearby Birmingham, Ala., led the nation’s 56 metered markets with a 10.1 rating, with Greensboro, N.C., second at 9.0 and Greenville, S.C., third at 8.5. Charlotte, N.C., was fourth at 7.2 with Indianapolis fifth at 6.5. Rounding out the top 10 were Norfolk, Va., 5.9; Raleigh-Durham, N.C., 5.8; Orlando, Fla., 5.7; and a tie for ninth between Nashville and Knoxville, Tenn., at 5.5.(ESPN)(10-21-2014)
  UPDATE: Due to a minor crediting error for ESPN that has been corrected by Nielsen, the rating and viewership for the Oct. 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Talladega Superspeedway is higher than originally reported. The final national rating for the race telecast is now a 3.0, not a 2.7 as was originally reported, with a viewership average of 4,757,000, not 4,328,000 as originally reported. The 2013 race earned a 3.1 rating with an average viewership of 4,916,000.
  TV Ratings for the nine Chase race overall as compared to last year at this point is even at 2.6 but viewership is up 3% 4,318,000 vs. 4,194,000 in 2013.(ESPN)(11-15-2014)
• Phoenix TV Ratings UPDATE: Following an all-out brawl on pit road following last week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race (at Texas), ESPN saw a double-digit increase in the overnight rating for Sunday’s Quicken Loans Race for Heroes 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. ESPN drew a 2.8 overnight for the telecast from 3:00-6:45pm/et, up 12% from last week and up 21% from same race in 2013 and is best for the penultimate Chase race in at least the last five years.(Sports Business Daily / Twitter)
  UPDATE: With the final elimination in the revised Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on the line in the race, ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday, Nov. 9, was the highest-rated and most-viewed Fall race at Phoenix since 2009, earning a 3.1 U.S. household rating and averaging 5,091,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The rating and viewership were up double digits from last year’s race, which earned a 2.7 rating and averaged 4,271,000 viewers. The rating was also up from 2012 (2.8), 2011 (2.9) and 2010 (2.5). Greensboro, N.C., was the highest-rated of the nation’s 56 metered markets with an 8.9 rating, followed by Greenville, S.C., at 8.5 and Indianapolis at 8.1. Raleigh-Durham, N.C., was fourth at 7.3 with Charlotte, N.C., fifth at 7.2. Rounding out the top 10 metered markets were Richmond, Va., 6.9; Knoxville, Tenn., 6.3; Birmingham, Ala., 6.2; Norfolk, Va., 5.7; and a tie for 10th between Jacksonville and Orlando, Fla., at 5.6.
  Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Phoenix was the highest-rated and most-viewed Fall race at Phoenix in ESPN’s eight seasons of televising the event, earning a 1.2 rating and averaging 1,875,000 viewers. Last year’s event earned a 1.0 rating and averaged 1,392,000 viewers.(ESPN)(11-11-2014)
• NASCAR defeats F1 in American TV market UPDATE: The United States Grand Prix at COTA drew a 0.7 overnight rating on NBC, a bump in their usual number considering most GPs are at bizarre times for Americans. NASCAR drew ratings nearly four times higher than F1 overnight, earning a 2.5, according to SportsBusiness Daily.(Motorsport)(11-4-2014)
  UPDATE ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 2, saw its highest rating and viewership in two years, according to Nielsen Media. The race earned a 2.8 U.S. rating, averaging 4,749,000 viewers, both numbers up from last year’s race (2.6 rating, 4,179,000 average viewers) and the 2012 race (2.5 rating, 3,943,000 viewers). Greensboro, N.C., was the highest-rated of the nation’s 56 metered markets with an 8.8 rating, followed by Greenville, S.C., at 8.1 and Indianapolis at 7.1. Raleigh-Durham, N.C., was fourth at 6.5 with Knoxville, Tenn., fifth at 6.4. Rounding out the top 10 markets were Nashville, Tenn., 5.9; Charlotte, N.C., 5.8; Jacksonville, Fla., 5.5; and a tie between Richmond, Va., and Louisville, Ky., at 5.2.
  ESPN’s live telecast of Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Texas also saw ratings and viewership growth over last year’s event with a 1.1 U.S. rating and an average viewership of 1,633,000. Last year’s telecast earned a 0.9 rating and averaged 1,395,000 viewers.(ESPN)(11-4-2014)
• Martinsville TV Ratings: ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 26, earned a 2.5 U.S. household rating, averaging 4,083,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The rating and viewership numbers were down from last year’s race, which earned a 2.7 rating and averaged 4,316,000 viewers, but were up from the 2012 race, which earned a 2.4 rating with an average of 3,617,000 viewers. Greensboro, N.C., the closest metered market to Martinsville, led the nation with a 7.8 rating for the telecast, followed by Greenville, S.C., at 7.5 and Nashville, Tenn., at 5.9. Indianapolis was fourth at 5.8 with Knoxville, Tenn., fifth at 5.7. The top 10 metered markets were rounded out by Tampa-St. Petersburg, 5.4; Richmond, Va., 5.3; Birmingham, Ala., 5.2; Orlando, Fla., 5.0; and a tie for 10th between Norfolk, Va., and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., at 4.9.(ESPN)(10-29-2014)
• Charlotte TV Ratings: ABC’s live telecast of the Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday night, Oct. 11, earned a 3.1 U.S. household rating, averaging 5,096,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The only Saturday night race in the 10-race Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, the Charlotte event was the highest-rated and most-viewed of the five races so far in the Chase. Last year’s race earned a 3.4 rating and averaged 5,560,000 viewers. Of the nation’s 56 metered markets, Greenville, S.C., was the highest rated with an 8.4 rating, with Greensboro, N.C., second at 8.3. Charlotte, N.C., and Tulsa, Okla., tied for third at 7.9 with Indianapolis fifth at 7.7. Rounding out the top 10 were Raleigh-Durham, N.C., 7.3; Richmond, Va., 6.1; Nashville, Tenn., 5.9; Jacksonville, Fla., 5.5 and Dayton, Ohio, 5.4.
  ESPN2’s live telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Charlotte on Friday night, Oct. 10, earned a 0.8 U.S. rating, the same as last year’s race, and averaged 1,249,000 viewers, slightly down from last year’s average of 1,302,000.(ESPN)(10-14-2014)
• Kansas TV Ratings: ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kansas Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 5, earned a 2.3 U.S. household rating, averaging 3,601,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The rating and viewership were down from last year’s race, which earned a 2.6 rating and averaged 4,162,000 viewers. Greensboro, N.C., was the highest-rated of the nation’s 56 metered markets with a 6.4 rating, followed by Greenville, S.C., at 5.9 and Dayton, Ohio, at 4.9. Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and Tampa-St. Petersburg tied for fourth at 4.8. Rounding out the top 10 local markets were Orlando, Fla., Tulsa, Okla., and Charlotte, N.C., tied at 4.6, Indianapolis at 4.5 and Jacksonville, Fla., Nashville, Tenn., and Birmingham, Ala., tied at 4.4.
  ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, Oct. 4, earned a 1.0 U.S. rating, averaging 1,539,000 viewers, both down from last year’s 1.1 rating and viewership average of 1,629,000.(ESPN)(10-7-2014)
• Dover TV Ratings: ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 28, earned a 2.3 U.S. household rating, averaging 3,786,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The rating and viewership were down from last year’s race, which earned a 2.4 rating and averaged 3,969,000 viewers. Greenville, S.C., was the highest-rated of the nation’s 56 metered markets with a 7.1 rating for the race telecast, followed by Greensboro, N.C., at 7.0 and Birmingham, Ala., at 6.1. Indianapolis was fourth at 5.4 with Knoxville, Tenn., fifth at 5.2. Rounding out the top 10 were Nashville, Tenn., 5.0; Richmond, Va., Charlotte, N.C., and Orlando, Fla., tied at 4.9; and Jacksonville, Fla., and Louisville, Ky., tied at 4.6.
  ESPN’s telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover on Saturday, Sept. 27, had a rise in its rating and viewership over the 2013 race. The telecast earned a 1.2 U.S. rating, up from a 1.1 last year, and averaged 1,859,000 viewers, up from 1,641,000 last year.(ESPN)(10-1-2014)
• New Hampshire TV Ratings: ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., on Sunday, Sept. 21, earned a 2.4 U.S. household rating, averaging 3,850,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The rating was the same as for last year’s race but viewership was up from last year’s 3,706,000 average. The Sylvania 300 was the second race in the 10-event Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Greensboro, N.C., was the nation’s highest-rated metered market for the race telecast with an 8.0 rating, with Greenville, S.C., second at 6.9 and Indianapolis third at 6.2. Birmingham, Ala., was fourth at 6.0 with Raleigh-Durham, N.C., fifth at 5.9. Rounding out the top 10 markets were Charlotte, N.C., 5.4; Knoxville, Tenn., 4.9; Tulsa, Okla., 4.6; Nashville, Tenn., 4.5 and Dayton, Ohio, 4.3.
  Saturday night’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Kentucky Speedway near Cincinnati aired on ESPNEWS and earned a 0.5 U.S. household rating, averaging 708,000 viewers. Last year’s race, which also aired on ESPNEWS, earned a 0.6 rating with 837,000 average viewers.(ESPN)(9-24-2014)
• Chicago TV Ratings: ESPN’s live telecast of the opening race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 14, earned a 2.3 U.S. household rating, averaging 3,711,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. Last year’s race was rain-delayed and earned a 1.7 rating, averaging 2,689,000 viewers. Greensboro, N.C., led the nation’s metered markets with a 7.9 rating, with Greenville, S.C., second at 7.2 and Birmingham, Ala., third at 6.2. Indianapolis was fourth at 6.0 and Norfolk, Va., fifth at 5.1. Rounding out the top 10 markets were Raleigh-Durham, N.C., 4.9; Charlotte, N.C., 4.7; Knoxville, Tenn., 4.5; Nashville, Tenn., 4.4; and tied for 10th were Tampa-St. Petersburg and Orlando, Fla., 4.3. ESPN2’s live telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 13, earned a 0.8 U.S. household rating, averaging 1,241,000 viewers. The rating and viewership were down from last year’s race, which earned a 0.9 rating and averaged 1,289,185 viewers.(ESPN)(9-16-2014)
• Richmond TV Ratings: ABC’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night, Sept. 6, earned a 3.0 U.S. household rating, averaging 4,920,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The rating and viewership were down from last year’s race, which earned a 3.3 rating and averaged 5,153,000 viewers. Greenville, S.C., led the nation’s metered markets with a 7.6 rating, while Indianapolis was second at 7.4. Richmond (6.9), Greensboro, N.C., (6.6) and Nashville, Tenn., (6.2) completed the top five. The rest of the top 10 metered markets were Charlotte, N.C., 6.1; Orlando, Fla., 5.9; Norfolk, Va., 5.7; Knoxville, Tenn., 5.5; and Tulsa, Okla., 5.0.(ESPN)(9-9-2014)
• Atlanta TV Ratings: ESPN’s live telecast of the Oral-B USA 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday night, Aug. 31, earned a 3.2 U.S. rating, averaging 5,210,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The rating was the same for last year’s race while the viewership average of 5,323,000 in 2013 was slightly higher. Greenville, S.C., led the nation’s metered markets with a 9.6 rating for the telecast, with Greensboro, N.C., second at 9.0 and Indianapolis third at 8.9. Birmingham Ala., was fourth at 8.3 with Charlotte, N.C., fifth at 7.4. Rounding out the top 10 metered markets were Richmond, Va., 6.8; Raleigh-Durham, N.C., 6.4; Orlando, Fla., 6.3; Tampa-St. Petersburg, 5.7; and Norfolk, Va., 5.5.
  ESPN2’s live telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Atlanta on Saturday night, Aug. 30, earned a 1.0 U.S. rating, averaging 1,541,000 viewers. The rating again matched the 2013 race telecast rating and viewership was again slightly down from a 2013 average of 1,611,000.(ESPN)(9-3-2014)
• Bristol TV Ratings: ABC’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night, Aug. 23, earned a 3.2 U.S. household rating, averaging 5,079,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The rating and viewership were down from last year’s race, which earned a 3.9 rating and averaged 6,322,000 viewers. This year’s race aired on alternate digital channels in 11 markets due to ABC affiliates airing NFL preseason games in those markets. Nashville, Tenn., and Louisville, Ky., markets that traditionally have strong NASCAR ratings, were among those affected, Greenville, S.C., was the highest-rated metered market in the nation with an 11.3 rating, followed by Knoxville, Tenn., at 9.3 and Greensboro, N.C., at 9.2. Indianapolis was fourth at 8.7 and Raleigh-Durham, N.C., fifth at 6.9. Rounding out the top 10 metered markets were Buffalo, 6.6; Birmingham, Ala., Richmond, Va., and Orlando, Fla., 6.3; and Charlotte, N.C., 5.6. In Charlotte, the telecast did not air on the market’s ABC affiliate station but did air on another full-powered, rated station. Last year, the race earned an 8.7 rating in Charlotte while airing on the ABC affiliate.
  ESPN’s live telecast of the rain-delayed NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Bristol on Friday night, Aug. 22, earned a 1.0 rating, averaging 1,631,000 viewers. Last year’s race, which was run and telecast as scheduled, earned a 1.1 rating and averaged 1,687,000 viewers (ESPN)(8-26-2014)
• Michigan TV Ratings: ESPN’s live telecast of the Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, Aug. 17, earned a 3.2 U.S. household rating, averaging 5,150,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The rating and viewership were up from last year’s race, which earned a 3.0 rating and averaged 4,585,000 viewers. The nation’s highest-rated metered market was Greenville, S.C., with a 10.4 rating, followed by Indianapolis at 8.7 and Greensboro, N.C., at 8.6. Charlotte, N.C., was fourth at 7.2 with Birmingham, Ala., and Richmond, Va., tied for fifth at 6.9. Rounding out the top 10 metered markets were Nashville, Tenn., 6.7, Knoxville, Tenn., 6.4, Norfolk, Va., 6.0 and Louisville, Ky., 5.7.
  ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday, Aug. 16, earned a 0.9 U.S. household rating, averaging 1,473,000 viewers. The rating was the same as last year’s race while viewership rose from last year’s 1,287,000.(ESPN)(8-19-2014)
• Watkins Glen TV Ratings: ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen International on Sunday, Aug. 10, earned a 3.1 U.S. household rating, averaging 4,939,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media.Both the rating and viewership rose from last year’s Watkins Glen race, which earned a 2.7 rating and averaged 4,171,328 viewers. The rating was the highest for the race since a 3.2 in 2010. Indianapolis was the nation’s highest-rated metered market for the race telecast with a 9.6 rating, followed by Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville at 9.5 and Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem at 9.1. Charlotte was fourth at 7.3 and Knoxville, Tenn., fifth at 7.0. Rounding out the top 10 were Raleigh-Durham, N.C., 6.9; Richmond, Va., 6.7; Tulsa and Nashville, 6.2; and Jacksonville, 6.0.(ESPN)(8-12-2014)
• Pocono TV Ratings: ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, Aug. 3, earned a 2.8 U.S. household rating, averaging 4,374,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The rating and viewership were down from last year’s race, which earned a 3.2 rating and averaged 5,063,000 viewers. The highest rated among the nation’s metered markets for the telecast was Greenville, S.C., with a 9.9 rating, followed by Greensboro, N.C., at 9.0 and Birmingham, Ala., at 7.7. Indianapolis was fourth at 7.5 with Richmond, Va., fifth at 6.5. Rounding out the top 10 markets were Norfolk, Va., 6.1; Knoxville, Tenn., 6.0; Raleigh-Durham, N.C., 5.7; and Charlotte, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn., at 5.6.(ESPN)(8-5-2014)
• Indy TV Ratings UPDATE: The Indianapolis market saw a big increase: from 13.8 last year to 15.0 this year. The national number wasn’t so kind to IMS and NASCAR. There was a decrease in overnight rating, from 3.4 last year to 3.2 this year. Last year’s final national rating was 3.6. That information will be available Tuesday.(Indianapolis Star).(7-29-2014)
  UPDATE: ESPN’s live telecast of the Brickyard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 27, earned a 3.4 U.S. rating, averaging 5,196,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The rating and viewership were down from the 2013 race, which earned a 3.6 rating and averaged 5,460,000 viewers, but were up from 2012, when the telecast earned a 3.3 rating and averaged 5,055,000 viewers. Indianapolis led the nation’s metered markets with a 15.0 rating, up from a 13.7 rating last year, while Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville was second with a 9.4 rating. North Carolina’s Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem market was third nationally with an 8.7 rating while Charlotte and Richmond tied for fourth at 7.7. The rest of the nation’s top 10 markets for the race were Louisville, 6.9; Nashville, 6.5; Birmingham and Raleigh-Durham, 6.3; and Tampa/St. Petersburg and Orlando, 5.5. ESPN’s live telecast of Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at IMS earned a 1.3 rating, averaging 1,988,000 viewers. Viewership was up over last year’s race, which averaged 1,913,000 viewers with a 1.4 rating.(ESPN)(7-29-2014)
• No NASCAR in top 50 watched sporting events this year: At the unofficial halfway point of the sports calendar, here is a look at the most-watched sporting events of the year so far. Click here to jump straight to the list. The first half of 2014 was a bit atypical thanks to the Winter Olympics and World Cup. Those two events accounted for exactly half of the 50 most-watched sports telecasts this year – eighteen for the Olympics and seven for the World Cup – and 11 of the top 12 non-NFL events. The Opening Ceremony of the Olympics (31.7M) and the Germany/Argentina World Cup final (26.5M) rank as the two most-watched non-NFL sporting events of the year. There have been other oddities. Horse racing placed higher on this year’s list than the NBA Finals, as The Belmont Stakes drew 20.4 million viewers (#26) and Spurs/Heat topped out at 18.0 million (#33). NASCAR and golf both plummeted out of the top 50 as the Daytona 500 (9.3M) and The Masters (11.0M) suffered sizable declines. The NFL Draft – not even an actual sporting event – managed to crack the list with 12.4 million viewers on ESPN and NFL Network. Even in an atypical year, the NFL was still dominant. NFL games took up the top eight spots on the list, led by the Seahawks/Broncos Super Bowl – the most-watched program in U.S. television history. Every NFL game played in 2014 had more viewers than the most-watched World Cup match. See the full list at Sports Media Watch.(7-21-2014)
• New Hampshire TV Ratings: The series finale of NASCAR on TNT was just the latest Sprint Cup race to suffer a decline compared to last year. NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from New Hampshire earned a 2.7 U.S. rating and 4.3 million viewers on TNT Sunday afternoon, down 16% in ratings and 13% in viewership from last year (3.2, 4.9M) and down 13% and 10%, respectively, from 2012 (3.1, 4.9M). This year’s race ranks as the lowest rated since at least 1998 and the least-viewed since at least 2000. In 13 years on TNT (2001-14), the race topped out at a 4.5 and 7.3 million viewers in 2005. Keep in mind the race aired directly opposite the World Cup final, which had 26.5 million viewers on ABC and Univision. Even with that caveat, Sunday’s results were part of an ongoing trend for NASCAR this season. The race was the 15th of 16 Sprint Cup telecasts to have a decline in ratings and the 13th to decline in viewership. Keep in mind that excludes three races that were postponed a day due to rain and the All-Star Race on Speed Channel. In addition, the race was just one of several this season to hit or approach a multi-year low.(Sports Media Watch / Bloomberg / TV By the Numbers)(7-16-2014)
• Daytona TV Ratings: A rain-drenched weekend at Daytona resulted in unsurprisingly low numbers for NASCAR on TNT. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Coke Zero 400 from Daytona earned a 2.4 U.S. rating and 4.0 million viewers on TNT Sunday, down 31% in ratings and 30% in viewership from last year (3.5, 5.7M) and down 37% and 36%, respectively, from coverage on TNT and TruTV in 2012 (3.8, 6.2M). Those races were run as scheduled on a Saturday night. This year’s race was plagued by rain, first postponed from Saturday night to Sunday morning and then shortened from 160 to 112 laps. Sunday’s race even outdrew coverage from Kentucky a week earlier (2.3, 3.6M)(Sports Media Watch / Bloomberg / Media Life Magazine)(7-11-2014)
• ISC execs optimistic despite lower TV ratings: Although Fox saw a ratings decline of 10% for its portion of the NASCAR season, International Speedway Corporation executives tried to explain to financial investors Thursday why the drop is not as alarming as the numbers might indicate. In announcing the company’s financial results through May 2014, ISC President John Saunders made the case for the sport as the company is seeing stabilized admission revenues and consistent corporate sponsorship. Saunders told financial analysts on a conference call Thursday that a 12% increase in Hispanic viewership for Fox and a 6% increase in 18-24 male viewership are good signs. The NASCAR races on Fox had the top sports telecast of the day for nine of its 12 weekend events, and TNT has had the top cable sports broadcast for the day for two of its first four telecasts. The telecast from Kentucky last Saturday night had an unusually low 2.3 rating. ISC reported that overall ticket sales through May were a tick down from $35.778 million for the first five months of 2013 to $35.695 million in 2014. It reported that Kansas, which moved its race from Sunday afternoon in April to Saturday night of Mother’s Day weekend, had a 15% increase in ticket sales thanks to increased attendance and increased ticket prices. In another good sign, ISC has sold 94 percent of its goal for sponsorships this year and has one Nationwide Series race sponsorship left to sell. It has sold 15 of its 20 Cup sponsorships already for next season.(Sporting News)(7-4-2014)
• Kentucky TV Ratings: The NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Kentucky earned a 2.3 U.S. rating and 3.6 million viewers on TNT Saturday night, down 12% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year (2.6, 4.0M), down 8% in both measures from 2012 (2.5, 3.9M), and easily the lowest rated and least-viewed edition of the race (dates back to 2011). The 2.3 rating is the lowest for any regular Sprint Cup telecast since September 2012, when Loudon and Dover earned a 2.2 in back-to-back weeks. Saturday’s race was just the latest NASCAR telecast to suffer a decline in ratings and viewership. Of the 15 Sprint Cup races that can be compared to last year (excludes two rainouts), 14 have had declines in ratings and 12 have had declines in viewership. For the week, NASCAR on TNT ranked as the 14th-most watched program on cable.(Sports Media Watch / Bloomberg / TV By the Numbers).(7-2-2014)
• Sonoma TV Ratings up slightly: TNT eked out only the third increase in viewership for NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage this season. Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Sonoma earned a 2.8 U.S. rating and 4.7 million viewers, down 7% in ratings and virtually flat in viewership compared to last year (3.0, 4.7M) and down 15% and 10%, respectively, from 2012 (3.3, 5.2M). Viewership for the race was up just 0.3% from last year, rising from 4.66 million to 4.68 million. Still, that marked the third viewership increase of the season for Sprint Cup racing, and the second on TNT. Considering the competition from the World Cup, and the overall down season for NASCAR, any increase over last year is fairly impressive. Even so, this year’s race ranks as the second-lowest rated from Sonoma since at least 1998 and the third-least viewed since at least 2002.(Sports Media Watch / Bloomberg / TV By the Numbers)(6-24-2015)
• Michigan TV Ratings: The NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Michigan earned a 2.7 U.S. rating and 4.254 million viewers on TNT Sunday, down 4% in ratings and 6% in viewership from last year (2.8, 4.5M), down 16% and 19%, respectively, from 2012 (3.2, 5.3M), and the lowest rated edition of the race since at least 1996. The previous low was a 2.8 rating for last year’s race. Sunday’s race also ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed regular Sprint Cup telecast of the season. Of the thirteen Sprint Cup races that can be compared to last year, twelve have had declines in ratings and eleven have had declines in viewership. For the week, NASCAR on TNT was the #4 program on cable and the top sporting event – topping all World Cup telecasts on ESPN. Keep in mind World Cup matches also aired on broadcast networks ABC and Univision.(Sports Media Watch / Bloomberg / TV by the Numbers)(6-18-2014)
• Pocono TV Ratings: The NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Pocono earned a 3.0 U.S. rating and 4.5 million viewers on TNT Sunday afternoon, up 7% in ratings and 3% in viewership from last year (2.8, 4.4M), but down 6% and 15%, respectively, from 2012 (3.2, 5.3M). Sunday’s race was the first of the season to have an increase in ratings and only the second to have an increase in viewership. With that said, the race also ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed regular Sprint Cup race of the season (the All-Star Race had a 2.1 and 3.5 million on Fox Sports 1). The 3.0 is also tied as the second-lowest for the Pocono race since at least 2000, matching 2007 and ahead of only last year. For the week, NASCAR on TNT tied the second-largest audience on cable – matching an hour of WWE Raw on USA Network.(Sports Media Watch / Bloomberg / TV by the Numbers)(6-11-2014)
• Final Dover TV Ratings: Last week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Dover earned a 3.5 final rating and 5.4 million viewers on FOX, down 8% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year (3.8, 6.0M) and down 5% in both measures from 2012 (3.7, 5.7M). The 3.5 rating is tied as the second-lowest ever for NASCAR Sprint Cup racing on FOX, matching the Kansas race three weeks earlier. The 3.5 is also the lowest rating ever for a Sunday afternoon NASCAR race on FOX. The previous mark was a 3.7 for two previous Dover races. Four of the six lowest rated Sprint Cup races on FOX took place this season alone. Every single race on FOX this season – including the All-Star Race on Fox Sports 1 – had a decline in ratings compared to last year, and all but one race had a decline in viewership. The lone exception was the Darlington race, which carved out a 2% increase in viewership over last season. Despite the lower numbers, NASCAR on FOX was the #2 sports program of the weekend on television, trailing only Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals (4.9, 8.2M). It finished well ahead of the #3 program, Game 7 of the NHL Western Conference Finals (2.3, 4.1M).(Sports Media Watch / Sports Business Daily)(6-8-2014)
• Dover Overnight TV Ratings: Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Dover earned a 3.3 overnight rating on FOX, down 6% from last year (3.5), down 8% from 2012 (3.6), and the lowest overnight for the race since moving to FOX in 2007. The 3.3 overnight is tied as the third-lowest ever for NASCAR Sprint Cup racing on FOX, matching Phoenix in 2009 and Kansas this year. The only races to earn lower overnights were this year’s Darlington (3.2) and Richmond (3.0) races. The 3.3 is also the lowest ever for a Sunday race on FOX. Despite the lower numbers, Sunday’s race was the #2 sporting event of the weekend on broadcast or cable, edging Game 7 of the NHL Western Conference final on NBCSN (3.2). Only Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals on TNT did better (5.7).(Sports Media Watch)(6-3-2014)
• Charlotte TV Ratings: Saturday (5/24) night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway posted a 4.1/9 household rating/share and 7.0 million viewers on FOX according to national figures released by Nielsen. It was the most-watched sports telecast of the weekend, out-distancing such high-profile events as Pacers-Heat on ESPN (6.8 million) and the Indianapolis 500 on ABC (5.9 million, according to Nielsen fast nationals). The Coca-Cola 600 led FOX to be the No. 1 network in rating and audience in prime time among all broadcast and cable competition. The audience for the Coca-Cola 600 peaked at 9.3 million viewers at 10:30 pm/et.(FOX).(5-28-2014)
• Final Sprint All Star Race TV Ratings: Ratings and viewership for NASCAR’s All-Star Race were the lowest ever on Fox Sports 1 (previously Speed Channel). Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race drew a 2.1 U.S. rating and 3.4 million viewers on FS1, down 9% in ratings and 5% in viewership from last year (2.3, 3.7M), down 5% and 7%, respectively, from 2012 (2.2, 3.8M), and the lowest rated, least-viewed All-Star Race ever on the network (eight telecasts dating back to 2007). This year marked the first All-Star Race since Speed Channel became FS1 last August. The race ranks as the network’s second-most watched program since rebranding, trailing only the NASCAR Sprint Unlimited on February 15 (3.5M). The top three programs have all been NASCAR races, with the conclusion of the March 16 Food City 500 ranking third (3.2M). In other All-Star weekend action, Friday’s NASCAR All-Star Showdown drew 1.2 million viewers on FS1.(Sports Media Watch / Bloomberg)(5-21-2014)
• Overnight All-Star Race TV Ratings: Overnight ratings dropped by double-digits for the first NASCAR All-Star Race since Speed Channel became Fox Sports 1. The NASCAR Sprint Cup All-Star Race earned a 1.7 overnight rating on Fox Sports 1 Saturday night, according to ShowBuzz Daily, down 15% from last year on Speed Channel (2.0). Speed Channel, of course, became Fox Sports 1 last August. Keep in mind Speed Channel was in 86.0 million viewers at the time of last year’s race, just shy of the most recent available tally for Fox Sports 1 (86.7M in March). Saturday’s 1.7 overnight is just shy of FS1’s first NASCAR telecast of the season, the Sprint Unlimited on February 15 (1.8). That race aired opposite the Winter Olympics. Despite the lower numbers, NASCAR was still a much bigger draw for FS1 than its other programming. The network earned a mere 0.3 overnight for the Pirates/Yankees Major League Baseball game earlier in the day.(Overnights from ShowBuzz Daily; Sprint Unlimited overnight from Sports Business Daily; FS1 distribution from Sports Business Daily)(5-20-2014)
• Final Kansas TV Ratings:
  Last Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Kansas earned a 3.5 final rating and 5.8 million viewers on FOX, down 17% in ratings and 11% in viewership from last year (4.2, 6.5M) and down 19% and 16%, respectively, from 2012 (4.3, 6.8M). Prior to this year, the race took place on Sunday afternoon. Despite the lower numbers, the race edged last week’s Heat/Nets NBA playoff game on ABC head-to-head (5.8M to 5.6M). The events had the same rating.(Sports Media Watch / Sports Business Daily)(5-17-2014)
• Kansas overnight TV Ratings down: Overnight ratings for NASCAR from Kansas were the lowest in the young history of the race. The NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Kansas earned a 3.3 overnight rating on FOX Saturday night, down 15% from last year (3.9), down 11% from 2012 (3.7), and the lowest overnight in the four year history of the race. Until this year, the race took place on Sunday afternoon. Saturday’s 3.3 overnight is tied as the third-lowest ever for Sprint Cup racing on FOX, matching the 2009 Phoenix race. Eight of the nine lowest rated races on FOX in the metered markets have aired on a Saturday night, including all three of this year’s Saturday night races. The Darlington race drew a 3.2 overnight on April 12, and the Richmond race hit an all-time low 3.0 on April 26. For the weekend, the race was the top non-NBA sporting event on any network, finishing comfortably ahead of the final round of The Players Championship (2.6).(Sports Business Daily / Sports Media Watch)(5-12-2014)
• Final Talladega TV Ratings: Television ratings for NASCAR’s spring race at Talladega were the lowest since at least 1997. Last Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Aaron’s 499 earned a 4.4 final rating and 6.9 million viewers on FOX, down 4% in ratings and 5% in viewership from last year (4.6, 7.3M), and down 14% and 17%, respectively, from 2012 (5.1, 8.3M). The 4.4 rating is the lowest for the spring Talladega race since it returned to broadcast television in 1998, tying rainout coverage in 2006. The previous low was set last year. Prior to last year, the spring race had never dipped below 5.0. Excluding the two rainouts, all eight NASCAR Sprint Cup telecasts this season have had declines in ratings compared to last year, and seven of the eight have had declines in viewership. Despite the lower numbers, the race was the #2 sporting event of the weekend on any network, trailing only the Kentucky Derby (9.4, 15.3M).(Sports Media Watch / Sports Business Daily)(5-11-2014)
• Overnight Talladega TV Ratings UPDATE: not much info but the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway had a overnight rating of 4.0, which is down on the 2013 overnight rating of 4.4(ShowBuzzDaily). No 2014 viewership numbers were posted. 2013’s final TV Rating was a 4.6 with 7.345 million viewers and in 2012 the rating was 5.1 with 8.348 million viewers.(5-5-2014)
  UPDATE: A weak season for NASCAR on FOX continued with the lowest overnight from Talladega in at least sixteen years. Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Aaron’s 499 from Talladega earned a 4.0 overnight rating on FOX, down 9% from last year (4.4), down 15% from 2012 (4.7), and the lowest overnight for the spring Talladega race since at least 1998. The previous low was set last year. The multi-year low comes on the heels of the two lowest overnights in NASCAR on FOX history – Darlington’s 3.2 and Richmond’s 3.0. So far this season, FOX has earned its lowest overnights ever at Daytona, Phoenix, Martinsville, Las Vegas, Darlington, Richmond and Talladega, and its second-lowest overnight at Fontana. Despite the lower numbers, Sunday’s race earned the fourth-highest overnight of the weekend for a sporting event on broadcast or cable, trailing only three NBA Game 7s – Grizzlies/Thunder on TNT (4.1), Warriors/Clippers on TNT (4.3), and Mavericks/Spurs on ABC (4.9). Because final ratings for NASCAR tend to rise from the overnights, it is entirely possible that the race will end up having been the top sporting event of the week when the final numbers are released.(Sports Media Watch)(5-6-2014)
• Overnight Talladega TV Ratings: not much info but the Aaron’s 499 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway had a overnight rating of 4.0, which is down on the 2013 overnight rating of 4.4(ShowBuzzDaily). No 2014 viewership numbers were posted. 2013’s final TV Rating was a 4.6 with 7.345 million viewers and in 2012 the rating was 5.1 with 8.348 million viewers.(5-4-2014)
• Final Richmond TV Ratings: Fox Sports earned its lowest NASCAR television rating in 13 years televising the sport last week. NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Richmond earned a 3.3 final rating and 5.6 million viewers on FOX last Saturday, down 11% in ratings and 8% in viewership from last year (3.7, 6.1M), and down 8% in both measures from 2012 (3.6, 5.9M). The 3.3 rating is the lowest ever for NASCAR Sprint Cup racing on FOX, falling below the previous mark of 3.6 set on multiple occasions. Of the sixteen lowest rated Sprint Cup races ever on FOX, fifteen have taken place since the start of the decade. Of note, ten of the sixteen lowest rated races have taken place on Saturday nights, including five from Richmond alone. Last week’s 3.3 rating also ranks as the lowest for the spring Richmond race 2004 on FX (2.9). Despite the lower numbers, the race was the #2 sporting event of the weekend on broadcast or cable, trailing only ABC’s Clippers/Warriors NBA playoff game (4.2, 6.5M).(Sports Media Watch / Sports Business Daily)(5-4-2014)
• Overnight Richmond TV Ratings: NASCAR Sprint Cup series racing on FOX for Saturday nights Toyota Owner’s 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway earned a 3.0 overnight rating on FOX. That is a 12% decline from each of the previous four years, when the Richmond race held steady at a 3.4. Seven of the eight lowest rated Sprint Cup races on FOX in the metered markets have aired on Saturday nights, and five of the eight have taken place from Richmond (Sports Media Watch / ShowBuzz Daily)(4-29-2014)
• Darlington TV Rating Hits Low, But Viewership Hits High: In an interesting quirk, last week’s NASCAR race from Darlington both matched a record-low and hit a three-year high. Last Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Southern 500 from Darlington earned a 3.6 final rating and 6.0 million viewers on FOX, down 5% in ratings and up 2% in viewership from last year (3.8, 5.9M), and down 5% and up 6%, respectively, from 2012 (3.8, 5.7M). The 3.6 rating is the lowest for NASCAR from Darlington since 2000 (3.5) and tied as the lowest ever for a NASCAR Sprint Cup race on FOX. Despite the 14-year low in ratings, viewership was the highest for the Darlington race since 2011 (7.0M). The 2% increase in viewership also marked NASCAR’s first increase in either ratings or viewership this season. Of note, Saturday’s NASCAR coverage earned more viewers than the third round of The Masters on CBS earlier in the day (5.9M).(Sports Media Watch / Sports Business Daily)(4-21-2014)
• Early Darlington TV Ratings:
  Primetime coverage of “NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing From Darlington ” with 5.921 million viewers, adults 18-49 a 1.4 rating in front on Saturday. In 2013 FOX was the top draw on Saturday (4-13-2013) with its coverage of “NASCAR: Sprint Cup Racing from Texas” (5.908 million viewers, #2; adults 18-49: 1.5, #1).(Futon Critic), for past TV Ratings for the 2014 races and a 5-year comparison chart, see the 2014 TV Ratings page.(4-14-2014)
  UPDATE: Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Southern 500 from Darlington (SC) earned a 3.2 overnight rating on FOX, down 9% from each of the past three years (3.5) and the lowest ever for a Sprint Cup telecast on FOX (dates back to 2001). The previous low for NASCAR on FOX was a 3.3 overnight for the 2009 Subway Fresh Fit 500 from Phoenix, also on a Saturday night. Six of the seven lowest rated NASCAR races on FOX in the metered markets each took place on a Saturday night – 2014 Darlington (3.2), 2013 Richmond (3.4), 2012 Richmond (3.4), 2011 Richmond (3.4), 2010 Richmond (3.4), and 2009 Phoenix (3.3). The lone exception was the rain-drenched 2012 Fontana race, which earned a 3.4 overnight on a Sunday afternoon. Prior to this year, the Darlington race took place in May opposite the NBA Playoffs.(Sports Media Watch / Sports Business Daily)(4-14-2014)
• Texas TV Ratings: Rainout coverage of last week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Texas earned a 2.4 final rating and 3.8 million viewers on FOX. The race was postponed to Monday.(Sports Business Daily / Sports Media Watch)(4-14-2014)
• TV Ratings for Martinsville down: Overnight ratings hit a season-low for NASCAR on FOX. Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup STP 500 from Martinsville earned a 3.8 overnight rating on FOX, down 5% from last year (4.0), and down a tick from 2012 (3.9). Excluding rainouts, the 3.8 is the lowest ever for the spring Martinsville race on FOX (2001, 2003-present). The 3.8 is also the lowest for any Sprint Cup telecast this season, falling below the previous mark of 4.0 set the previous week at Fontana. So far this season, all six NASCAR Sprint Cup races have had declines in overnights compared to last year. Despite the lower numbers, NASCAR was easily the top non-NCAA Tournament draw of the weekend on broadcast.(Sports Media Watch)(4-1-2014)
• Final Fontana TV Ratings: All five NASCAR races this season have declined in ratings and viewership. Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Auto Club 400 from Fontana earned a 4.4 final rating and 7.1 million viewers on FOX, down 6% in ratings and 11% in viewership from last year (4.7, 8.0M), but up 16% and 15%, respectively, from rain-affected coverage in 2012 (3.8, 6.2M). The 4.4 rating is the second-lowest for the Sprint Cup at Fontana since 2000, ahead of only 2012. So far this season, all five NASCAR Sprint Cup races have declined in ratings and viewership. The season has seen the lowest rated and least-viewed Daytona 500 ever, the lowest rated second race of the season since 2000 (Phoenix), the third-lowest rated Las Vegas race ever, and now the second-lowest rated Fontana race in fourteen years.(Sports Media Watch)(3-29-2014)
• Overnight ratings for Fontana down: NASCAR continued to generate soft – but not terrible – ratings over the weekend. Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Auto Club 400 from Fontana (CA) earned a 4.0 overnight rating on FOX, down 11% from last year (4.5), but up 18% from the rain-shortened 2011 race (3.4). The 4.0 overnight is the second-lowest for the Fontana race since 2000 (3.7), ahead of only 2011. The 4.0 overnight is also the lowest of the season-to-date, trailing the previous mark of 4.1 set by the Bristol and Las Vegas races. Overnight ratings have now declined for all five NASCAR Sprint Cup races this season.(Sports Media Watch via Sports Business Daily)(3-25-2014)
• Final Bristol TV Ratings: FOX aired only a pittance of live NASCAR racing on Sunday, but the numbers still held up well compared to last year. Abbreviated coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Food City 500 from Bristol earned a 4.5 final rating and 7.3 million viewers on FOX, according to Nielsen fast-nationals – down a tick in ratings and 3% in viewership from last year (4.6, 7.5M), and up 2% and flat, respectively, compared to 2012 (4.4, 7.3M). Of course, comparisons to previous years have little value considering that FOX aired less than an hour of live racing. The telecast still ranked as the top sporting event of the weekend on broadcast. Sunday’s race was delayed twice – first before the start and then again after 124 laps. Two hours of rainout coverage earned a 3.7 and 6.1 million viewers on FOX. The race resumed in the evening on Fox Sports 1, which earned 3.2 million viewers for its coverage. The conclusion of the race ranks as the second-most viewed program on FS1 since it rebranded from Speed Channel last August.(Sports Media Watch)(3-21-2014)
• NASCAR ok with Fox moving Bristol race to FoxSports 1: Fox Sports didn’t break any agreements with NASCAR in moving the rain-delayed race at Bristol to Fox Sports 1 Sunday night. Once the Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway went past 7:00pm/et, Fox had the option of moving the remainder of the event to Fox Sports 1, according to NASCAR. Fox elected to use that option instead of keeping the telecast on network television and pre-empting its Sunday night lineup. The race started about 90 minutes late because of rain and then had a delay of 3 hours, 18 minutes because of more rain that pushed the final 376 laps to after 7:00pm. According to the SportsBusiness Journal, the last three-quarters of the Bristol race on FS1 drew a 1.8 overnight rating. According to the website TV By The Numbers, Fox’s rating for ages 18-49 were 1.1 for Bob’s Burgers, 1.4 for American Dad, 1.9 for the The Simpsons, 2.3 for Family Guy, and 2.0 for Cosmos. “We would prefer to start and finish race coverage on Fox,” Fox Sports spokesman Erik Arneson said in an e-mail Wednesday. “Moving an audience from one channel to another is a disruption to fans, which we take very seriously.”
  “It’s great to have broadcast partners who have multiple options so that we have a way to service the fans,” NASCAR spokesman Scott Warfield said.(Sporting News)(3-20-2014)
• Bristol TV Ratings down: Rain led to another decline for NASCAR on FOX. Abbreviated coverage of Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Food City 500 from Bristol earned a 4.1 overnight rating on FOX, down 7% from last year (4.4) but up a tick from 2012 (4.0). FOX aired only 45 minutes of live race coverage. The remainder of the race, according to Sports Business Daily, earned a 1.8 overnight on Fox Sports 1.(Sports Media Watch)(3-18-2014)
• Final ratings down for Las Vegas: For the third straight week, ratings and viewership dropped for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series. Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Kobalt Tools 400 from Las Vegas drew a 4.5 final rating and 7.2 million viewers on FOX, down 4% in ratings and viewership from last year (4.7, 7.5M), and down 14% and 15%, respectively, from 2012 (5.2, 8.5M). The 4.5 rating is the third-lowest in the history of the race (dates back to 1998), ahead of only 2010 (4.4) and 2000 (4.0). So far this season, all three Sprint Cup telecasts have had declines in ratings and viewership compared to last year. The races have each fallen to multi-year lows. As is typical, NASCAR was the top sporting event of the weekend. The final round of golf’s WGC-Cadillac Championship was a distant second (2.8, 4.1M).(Sports Media Watch)(3-15-2014)
• Las Vegas overnight TV ratings: The 2014 Sprint Cup season has not gotten off to a great start on FOX. Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Kobalt Tools 400 from Las Vegas drew a 4.1 overnight rating on FOX, down 11% from last year (4.6), down 23% from 2012 (5.3), and tied with 2010 as the lowest overnight ever for the race since it moved to FOX in 2001. Overnights have declined for the first three Sprint Cup telecasts this season. The numbers have not just declined, but in fact have hit historic lows. Final ratings for the Daytona 500 were the lowest ever, and the final rating for Phoenix was the lowest for the second race of the season since FOX acquired rights. Keep in mind that Sunday’s final rating could still end up surpassing the FOX low of 4.4 set in 2010. Despite the lower numbers, the race earned the highest overnight of the weekend for a sporting event on broadcast.(Sports Media Watch via Sports Business Daily)(3-11-2014)
• Final Phoenix TV Ratings Though the numbers were not bad, last week’s NASCAR race from Phoenix was the lowest rated second race of the season in 14 years. Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup “The Profit on CNBC 500” from Phoenix earned a 5.3 final rating and 8.8 million viewers on FOX, down 5% in ratings and 3% in viewership from last year (5.6, 8.8M), and down 5% in both measures from 2012 (5.6, 9.2M). The 5.3 rating is the lowest for the second NASCAR race of the season since 2000, when the Dura-Lube/Kmart 400 from Rockingham had a 3.9 U.S. rating on TNN. The 5.3 is also the lowest rating for the spring Phoenix race since it moved to the second week of the season in 2010. Sunday’s race finished only slightly behind the Daytona 500, which earned a record low 5.6 and 9.3 million viewers. Of course, the Daytona 500 had an unusually poor performance due to factors beyond NASCAR’s control – a lengthy rain delay and competition from the Olympics. Despite the lower numbers, NASCAR on FOX was easily the top sporting event of the weekend on any network. In a distant second was the final round of the PGA Tour Honda Classic on NBC (2.6, 3.8M). (Sports Media Watch)(3-8-2014)
• Phoenix TV Ratings down: After a record-low at Daytona, overnight ratings did not bounce back for the second race of the season. Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup “The Profit on CNBC 500? from Phoenix earned a 4.8 overnight rating on FOX, down 9% from a 5.3 last year, and down 4% from a 5.0 in 2011. The 4.8 is the lowest overnight for the second Sprint Cup race of the season since FOX began airing coverage in 2001. The 4.8 is also the lowest overnight for the spring Phoenix race since it moved to its current date in 2010. Despite the lower numbers, Sunday’s race was easily the top sporting event of the weekend on broadcast.(Sports Media / via Sports Business Daily)(3-4-2014)
• Daytona 500 TV Ratings: Sunday’s 56th running of the Daytona 500, the second won by #88-Dale Earnhardt Jr., was clearly impacted by an historic weather delay that included torrential rain and tornado warnings for local areas. Despite starting on time, the race experienced an unprecedented six hour, 22-minute weather delay with only 38 laps run at 2:17pm/et that pushed it well out of its normal running window. The race resumed at 8:25pm/et, finding itself in direct competition with the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Winter Games, which seems to have also been impacted by the competition.
  Remarkably, NASCAR’s famously loyal fans stayed tuned to FOX throughout the marathon rain delay. The network’s nearly five hours of rain-delay coverage averaged a 4.0/8 in the metered markets, which easily beat head-to-head competition from a live NBA doubleheader on ABC (+54% vs. 2.6/6) and was competitive with Winter Olympics afternoon coverage on NBC (4.4/9 from 2-6 PM). Just as impressive, FOX was able to hold 69% of its pre-rain delay audience throughout the long interruption.
  As a result, the 2014 Daytona 500 posted a 5.6/10 fast national household rating/share, averaging 9.3 million viewers. The last Daytona 500 to face Olympics’ competition came in 2010, and that race posted a 7.7/16, with 13.3 million viewers. Due to the extensive rain delay, yesterday’s race was broken out into two parts: from 1:30-2:17pm/et the race averaged a 6.3/15 with 10.1 million viewers and 5.5/9 with 9.1 million viewers from 8:25-11:23pm/et. Last night’s prime time portion of the race opened with a 4.6/7 with 7.7 million viewers. It grew steadily throughout the evening and peaked at a 6.7/12 with 10.9 million viewers from 11:00-11:23pm/et as Earnhardt Jr. took the checkered flag. In total, 23.7 million viewers watched all or part of the race.
  The top five ranked markets are: Greensboro (17.5/26), Orlando (13.2/21), Greenville (13.0/20), Richmond (12.0/18) and Jacksonville (11.8/18). NBC’s coverage of the Closing Ceremony of the Sochi Olympic Winter Games, which aired directly opposite FOX’s prime time portion of the Daytona 500, averaged a 9.6/14 among the metered markets, down 32% from 2010 (14.1/21).(FoxSports)(2-24-2014)
• Budweiser Duel TV Ratings: The amazing high-speed pile up that concluded the Budweiser Duel at Daytona International Speedway, one that saw the #15 Toyota of Clint Bowyer do an airborne 360, land on its wheels and the driver walk away unharmed, wasn’t the night’s only spectacular occurrence. The Budweiser Duel averaged 3.122 million viewers, making it the most-watched NASCAR “Duel” event since 2000 when CBS aired it on a Saturday (4.296 million). It is now the second most-watched program on FOX Sports 1 since launch behind Saturday’s Sprint Unlimited (3,526,000 viewers).(FoxSports)(2-22-2014)
• Sprint Unlimited TV Ratings: Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Unlimited earned a 2.0 U.S. rating and 3.526 million viewers on Fox Sports 1, the largest audience on FS1 since the network rebranded last August. Despite the record, Saturday’s telecast declined by 43% in ratings and 38% in viewership from last year on FOX (3.5, 5.7M), and by 52% and 53%, respectively, from 2012 (4.2, 7.5M). It ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed edition of the race (previously the Budweiser Shootout) since at least 2001.(Sports Media Watch)(2-20-2014)

Nationwide Series & Camping World Truck Series
TV Ratings News (if reported)

• Daytona Nationwide TV Ratings: ESPN earned a 1.8 U.S. rating and 2.7 million viewers for last Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Drive4COPD 300, down 18% in ratings and 19% in viewership from last year (2.2, 3.4M), and down 38% in both measures from 2012 (2.9, 4.4M). Compared to the last time the race aired opposite the Winter Olympics (2010), the race still declined 36% in ratings (2.8 to 1.8) and viewership (4.3M to 2.7M). (Sports Media Watch / Sports Business Daily)(3-4-2014)