NASCAR Sprint Cup, Nationwide Series Seeing Ratings Gains
The NASCAR Sprint Cup on Fox is averaging a 6.3 Nielsen rating and 10.6 million viewers for eight races this season, up 1.6% and 2.6%, respectively, from a 6.2 rating and 10.3 million viewers last season. After the Daytona 500, the UAW-Dodge 400 from Las Vegas Motor Speedway is the highest-rated and most-watched race of the season, while the Samsung 500 from Texas Motor Speedway is the only race to date to see declines in both ratings and viewers. The following chart lists race-by-race ratings and viewers for the NASCAR Sprint Cup telecasts on Fox to date, with comparisons to the same races last year (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).
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'08 NASCAR SPRINT CUP RATINGS ON FOX (THROUGH APRIL 12)
|
|
DATE
|
RACE
|
TRACK
|
'08 RATING
|
'08 VIEWERS (000)
|
RATING
% +/-
|
VIEWERS % +/-
|
|
2/17
|
Daytona 500
|
Daytona
|
10.2
|
17,752
|
1.0%
|
1.3%
|
|
2/25
|
Auto Club 500 (a)
|
Auto Club
|
6.2
|
10,916
|
---
|
---
|
|
3/2
|
UAW-Dodge
400 (b) |
Las Vegas |
7.1
|
12,066
|
12.7%
|
14.6%
|
|
3/9
|
Kobalt Tools 500 |
Atlanta |
6.4
|
10,570
|
23.1%
|
25.0%
|
|
3/16
|
Food City 500 |
Bristol |
5.5
|
8,851
|
7.8%
|
-19.4%
|
|
3/30
|
Goody's Cool Orange 500 |
Martinsville |
5.3
|
8,716
|
0.0%
|
-4.8%
|
|
4/6
|
Samsung 500 |
Texas |
5.4
|
8,612
|
-3.6%
|
-7.2%
|
|
4/12
|
Subway Fresh
Fit 500 |
Phoenix |
4.4
|
7,226
|
0.0%
|
3.0%
|
NOTES: (a) = Fox average includes the Sunday race telecast, which lasted for 178 minutes before being postponed due to rain. Rating listed is for Sunday rain coverage. Racing resumed on Monday afternoon on Fox at 1:00pm ET. (b) = Formerly the UAW-Daimler Chrysler 400.
NATIONWIDE: The NASCAR Nationwide Series on ESPN2 is averaging a 1.9 coverage area rating and 2.5 million viewers for five races, up 11.8% and 10.2%, respectively from the six races which had aired on the net through the same point last season. This season's ESPN2 average does not include the Stater Bros. 300, which was rained out and run on Monday, February 25. On ABC last weekend, the net earned a 2.6 final Nielsen rating (4.1 million viewers) for the Aaron's 312 from Talladega, up 23.8% from a 2.1 rating (2.9 million viewers) last year. The 2.6 rating marks the highest-rated and most-watched Nationwide Series event since the series returned to the ESPN networks last season, eclipsing the Sam's Town 300 from Las Vegas in March '07 on ABC. The following chart lists race-by-race ratings and viewers for this year's NASCAR Nationwide Series (THE DAILY).
|
'08 NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES RATINGS (THROUGH APRIL 26)
|
|
DATE
|
RACE
|
VENUE
|
NET
|
U.S.
|
COV.
|
VIEWERS (000)
|
|
2/16
|
Camping World 300 (a)
|
Daytona
|
ESPN2
|
2.2
|
2.5
|
3,214
|
|
2/25
|
Stater Bros. 300 (b)
|
Auto Club
|
ESPN2
|
1.0
|
1.1
|
1,282
|
|
3/1
|
Sam's Town 300 |
Las Vegas |
ESPN2
|
1.8
|
2.1
|
2,793
|
|
3/8
|
Nicorette 300* |
Atlanta |
ESPN2
|
1.7
|
2.0
|
2,705
|
|
3/15
|
Sharpie Mini 300 |
Bristol |
ABC
|
2.0
|
---
|
3,058
|
|
3/22
|
Pepsi 300* |
Nashville |
ESPN
|
1.1
|
1.3
|
1,591
|
|
4/5
|
O'Reilly 300 |
Texas |
ESPN2
|
1.5
|
1.8
|
2,220
|
|
4/11
|
Bashas' Supermarkets 200 |
Phoenix |
ESPN2
|
0.8
|
1.0
|
1,284
|
|
4/20
|
Corona Mexico 200 (c)^ |
Mexico City |
ESPN
|
1.7
|
2.0
|
2,433
|
|
4/26
|
Aaron's 312 |
Talladega |
ABC
|
2.6
|
---
|
4,050
|
NOTES: * = Previously on ABC. ^ = Previously on ESPN2. (a) = Formerly the Orbitz 300. (b) = Race rained out on Saturday. Rating listed is for the event when it aired on Monday following Sprint Cup event. (c) = Formerly the Telcel-Motorola Mexico 200.
SPEED ZONE: "NASCAR RaceDay" from Talladega last Sunday earned a 1.1 coverage area rating on SPEED, up from a 0.8 coverage rating last year, while qualifying for the Sprint Cup race on Saturday morning earned a 1.0 coverage rating, up from a 0.8 last year. On Friday night, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 from Kansas earned a 0.6 coverage rating, up from a 0.4 coverage rating last year (SPEED).
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