UPDATE: The NASCAR Cup Series playoff opener from Darlington (S.C.) averaged a 1.4 rating and 2.46 million viewers on NBCSN last Sunday evening, marking the largest audience of the first race of the playoffs since Chicagoland in 2016 (2.69M).
Denny Hamlin’s win, which peaked with 2.7 million viewers, was flat in ratings and inched up 1% in viewership compared to last year (1.4, 2.43M) but declined 27% and 33% respectively from 2019, when the race was severely delayed due to rain (1.1, 1.86M).
ORIGINAL POST 9-8-2021: NBCSN earned a 1.43 rating with 2.458 million viewers for Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 NASCAR Cup Series race at Darlington Raceway.
The numbers are up slightly from 2020.
.@NBCSN earned a 1.43 rating and 2.458 million viewers for Sunday's @CookOut Southern 500 at Darlington, up slightly from a 1.37 and 2.44M last year.
➖ The race was the 10th highest rated sport event last weekend overall but No. 1 on cable as the top nine were all on broadcast. pic.twitter.com/3X9r7iwEJC
— Adam Stern (@A_S12) September 8, 2021