LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 06: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, lead the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 06, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 06: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Kyle Larson, driver of the #5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, lead the field during the NASCAR Cup Series Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on February 06, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Busch Light Clash TV Ratings UPDATE

UPDATE: Sunday’s NASCAR “Clash” from the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum averaged a 2.3 rating and 4.28 million viewers on FOX, marking the highest rating and viewership for the event — which typically kicks off Speedweeks in Daytona — since 2016 (2.8, 4.84M). Not coincidentally, 2016 was also the last time the event aired on FOX.

Ratings and viewership more-than-doubled last year’s Tuesday night “Clash” on FS1 (0.9, 1.58M) and increased 54% and 74% respectively from the previous Sunday edition two years ago (1.5, 2.46M). Both aired on FS1.

The preseason exhibition, which peaked with 4.7 million viewers, averaged more viewers than all-but-four Cup Series races last season — the Daytona 500 (4.83M), Daytona “Roval” (4.75M) and the spring races from Talladega (4.70M) and Las Vegas (4.36M).*

Qualifying for the race averaged a 1.6 rating and 2.56 million viewers earlier Sunday, marking NASCAR’s largest qualifying audience for any race since Daytona 500 qualifying on FOX in 2016 (2.83M). NASCAR said Tuesday that it believes the qualifying audience is its highest on record outside of Daytona.

A Saturday afternoon practice averaged 350,000 viewers on FS2, marking that network’s largest audience of any kind since June of 2019.

Sports Media Watch

ORIGINAL POST 2-8-2022: FOX earned a 2.32 rating with 4.283 million viewers for the Busch Light Clash on Sunday. That’s up 168% from last year’s Clash, which aired on FS1.

It’s the most viewers to watch a Clash since 2016, which is the last time it aired on FOX. The four qualifying heat races earned 2.564 million viewers.