Rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Daytona drew a 2.6 overnight rating on NBC late Sunday night, up 8% from last year on TNT, when the race was postponed a full day due to rain (2.4). The race began at 11:15pm/et and ended after 2:00am. Earlier in the night, rain delay coverage earned a 2.1 overnight. The last time the Daytona race ended so late in the night was 2005, when NBC drew a much-higher 4.8 overnight from 10 PM-2 AM. The 2005 race, it should be noted, aired on a Saturday night – when it is presumably easier for viewers to stay up late. As one would expect, the race was dwarfed Sunday night by the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final on FOX (15.2). The two events never aired head-to-head, but the match undoubtedly stole much of the national attention away from the race.(Sports Media Watch), see race-by-race ratings, 5-year comparsion chart and more on the 2015 TV Ratings page.(7-6-2015)
UPDATE: NBC’s return to NASCAR held up about as well as one could have expected. Rain delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Daytona drew a 2.7 final rating and nearly 4.0 million viewers on NBC Sunday night, up 13% in ratings and virtually even in viewership compared to last year on TNT, when coverage was postponed a full day to Sunday afternoon (2.4, 4.0M). The 2013 race, which was run as scheduled on a Saturday night, drew a 3.5 and 5.7 million.(Sports Media Watch)(7-10-2015)
