Fox drew a 7.3 overnight for the Daytona 500 yesterday, which saw Joey Logano win the race for the first time. That overnight is down 28% from a 10.2 overnight in ’13, when Jimmie Johnson won the event. The '13 race also had significant pre-race interest with Danica Patrick in pole position. Last year’s race drew a 5.6 overnight after a record-setting delay that forced a finish after 11:00pm ET up against the Sochi Games. The ’12 race was rained out and moved to Monday. This year’s 7.3 overnight is down from an 8.2 rating in ’11, when Trevor Bayne won the race, but up from a 7.0 in ’10, when the race went up against the Vancouver Games. Fox' telecast yesterday peaked at an 8.8 rating during the 4:30-5:00pm window toward the end of the race. Meanwhile, FS1 on Saturday afternoon drew a 1.7 overnight for the NASCAR Xfinity Series opener. That race drew the same number on ESPN last year up against Sochi coverage. The race in '13 drew a 2.3 overnight, while '12 drew a 2.8 rating (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
ISSUES OF THE DAY: In Tampa, Tom Jones notes Fox in its pre-race coverage "went straight to two controversial stories" addressing both Kurt Busch's suspension and Kyle Busch's accident "only five minutes into the broadcast." A "straight-forward approach" on covering the Kurt Busch story served the net "especially well." During the race itself, Fox did a "nice job ... despite the anticlimatic ending under caution" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 2/23).
BIG DEAL FOR LITTLE: In Las Vegas, Ron Kantowski noted Fox' Jamie Little yesterday became the first woman "to cover the pit lane at both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500." Little said, "For the last eight years for ESPN, I always went to Daytona, but it was just for the Saturday race." She said that her job is "still a big thrill for her, because she was a fan of motor sports" before becoming a broadcaster. Little: "When you get to do things and be the first one -- it’s really special. I’ve done 11 Indy 500s, and that was the most important, special race I’ve ever covered, and now to get to do the Daytona 500, it’s pretty awesome" (REVIEWJOURNAL.com, 2/22).
