NBC drew a 2.5 overnight rating yesterday for Joey Logano's win at Homestead-Miami SpeedwayGETTY IMAGES
NBC yesterday drew what is likely the lowest overnight rating yet for a NASCAR Cup Series finale. The net drew a 2.5 overnight as Joey Logano won his first Monster Energy Cup Series title, down from a 2.7 last year for Martin Truex Jr.’s win. NBC drew a 3.2 in ’16, and a 4.2 for the net’s first season back with NASCAR in ’15. In ESPN’s last year with NASCAR in ’14, the net drew a 2.9 overnight for the race from Homestead-Miami Speedway. ESPN never drew below a 2.7 when the Cup finale was on the cable net. The rating for Homestead was indicative of the struggles for the series in '18, as around 75% of race telecast ratings have been at record-low levels (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).
THE ROAD AHEAD: USA TODAY's A.J. Perez took a look at the "most pressing issues for NASCAR" heading into the offseason, noting TV ratings "remain in decline." Heading into the season finale, average viewership for Cup races (3.16 million) was "down more than 20% compared to the same point last year and has fallen 62.6% from the sport’s all-time high" in '05. NBC Sports Exec Producer Sam Flood said discussion with NASCAR leadership has "been a great back-and-forth dialogue." Flood: "We are all 100% all-in at making NASCAR great and we are going to get there." Perez also looked at sponsors and costs, as well as whether races are "too long" and if there are "too many" (USATODAY.com, 11/16).
