NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Chicagoland earned a 1.5 overnight rating on NBCSN Sunday afternoon, down 15% from last year (1.8) and down 32% from 2014 on ESPN (2.7). Overnights even dropped from 2013, when the race was delayed multiple times and moved from ESPN to ESPN2 (1.6). Excluding rainouts, the 1.5 overnight is tied as the lowest of the season for a Sprint Cup race, matching Richmond the previous week. Only one race all of last season had as low an overnight, coverage from Kansas that did not finish until after 1 AM ET due to rain.(Sports Media Watch), see race-by-race TV Ratings for 2016 and a comparison chart on the 2016 TV Ratings page.(9-20-2016)
UPDATE: NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Chicagoland, the first race in the Chase For the Cup, posted a 1.6 final rating and 2.7 million viewers on NBCSN Sunday afternoon – down 16% in ratings and 17% in viewership from last year (1.9, 3.2M) and down 30% and 27%, respectively, from 2014 on ESPN (2.3, 3.7M). Excluding rainouts, the race ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched Chase For the Cup telecast ever (118 races dating back to 2004). Sunday’s race also delivered the lowest rating and viewership ever for the Sprint Cup at Chicagoland (dates back to 2001). In addition to those low marks, the 1.6 rating is tied as the lowest for any Sprint Cup race in at least eight years.(Sports Media Watch)
