Fox drew 6.32 million viewers for NASCAR's return to the track on Sunday at Darlington, which could be a “huge” stepping stone for the sport, according to Chris McClain of Charlotte-based WFNZ-AM. The fact the audience stayed steady showed people “weren’t checking in, getting bored and leaving.” WFNZ’s Travis Hancock said, “I didn’t think the race was great. We’ve seen better races before, so to get a six and maintain a six in a good, not great, race, that’s a good sign.” Hancock: “This is one of the biggest time periods, maybe, in the history of NASCAR, because the window is there to grab the casual fans” (“The Mac Attack,” WFNZ-AM, 5/19). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER’s Rick Porter noted aside from the season-opening Daytona 500, Sunday's Cup race was the “most-watched on any network since March 2017” (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 5/18). In Ft. Worth, Drew Davison notes the “made-for-TV event did well.” However, considering the dearth of live sports over the past two months, some “felt there would be an even bigger ratings spike” (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 5/19).
FUN WITH NUMBERS: Sunday's race was up 38% over the last Cup race from Phoenix prior to the shutdown (4.58 million on March 8). The '17 race in Atlanta was the last time any non-Daytona race topped 6 million viewers. The last time any Darlington race drew over 6 million was in ’14 (6.04 million in mid-April). There was a 47% increase among males 18-34 as well (compared to last race before shutdown), which was the largest increase among any demo for Fox on Sunday. Greensboro led all markets with a 9.5 local rating, followed by Charlotte (9.1) and Indianapolis (8.9). Some of the biggest markets in the country also saw large gains compared to the last race before the shutdown, with L.A. up 150%, S.F.-San Jose-Oakland up 130% and Chicago up 127% (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).
