Ratings, Viewership Flat For NASCAR Sprint Cup Telecasts On TNT

By Austin Karp, Research Associate

TNT's schedule of six NASCAR Sprint Cup races this season ended this past Saturday night with the LifeLock.com 400 from Chicagoland Speedway. The net averaged a 4.2 coverage area rating and 5.7 million viewers for the six events, flat for the same six races last year. The net's debut telecast this season -- the Pocono 500 at Pocono Raceway -- led the way with a 4.6 coverage rating, a boost of 27.8% from last year. However, that was the only TNT race telecast to see a ratings bump, as three of the next five races declined from '07. Coverage of the LifeLock.com 400, which moved from a Sunday afternoon race last year to a Saturday night race this season, saw ratings drop 22.9% in the new time slot, with viewership off 19.4%. The following lists race-by-race ratings and viewership for TNT's six-pack of NASCAR Sprint Cup telecasts this season, with comparisons to the same races last year.

NOTES: All ratings are live+ same day. (a) = Previously the Citizens Bank 400. (b) = Previously the Pepsi 400. (c) = Previously the USG Sheetrock 400, which was run on a Sunday afternoon.