NASCAR Sprint Cup Showing Gains In Ratings, Viewership In '08

by Austin Karp, Research Associate

Fox this season saw a ratings gain for its 13-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series package for the first time since '05. Fox this season had 11 races that could be compared to '07, with the Auto Club 500 being rained out this year and the Best Buy 400 being rained out last year. Of those 11 races, Fox averaged a 5.8 Nielsen rating and 9.5 million viewers, up 5.6% and 2.2%, respectively, from a 5.5 rating and 9.3 million viewers last year. Those marks are the highest averages for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Fox since the net averaged a record 6.0 and 9.6 million viewers for 13 races in '05. The following highlights race-by-race ratings and viewers for Fox' package of NASCAR Sprint Cup races.

TNT: TNT halfway through its '08 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series telecasts is averaging a 4.3 coverage area rating and 5.8 million viewers, up 7.5% and 5.4%, respectively, from a 4.0 rating and 5.5 million viewers for the same three races last season. The Pocono 500 has led the way with big gains for its '08 telecast, while the race from Infineon Speedway was down this past weekend. TNT has three more races remaining for this season, including the Coke Zero 400 from Daytona.

NOTES: * = Ratings listed for TNT are coverage area ratings. (a) = Race ran for 178 minutes on Fox before being rained out on Sunday. 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. (c) = Title sponsor Crown Royal uses entitlement for a contest for one fan to have race named after them; Jim Stewart was winner last year. The race in '07 was also rained out on Saturday night and run on a Sunday afternoon. (d) = Formerly the Dodge Avenger 500, which was also rained out in '07 on Satruday night and run on Snuday afternoon. (e) = Formerly the Autism Speaks 400, which was rained out in '07 and run on a Monday. (f) = Previously the Citizens Bank 400.

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