Despite the lowest marks in over a decade, NASCAR’s second Pocono race had only modest declines in ratings and viewership.
NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Pocono drew a 2.6 final rating and 4.3 million viewers on NBCSN Sunday afternoon, down 7% in ratings and 2% in viewership from last year (2.8, 4.4M) and down 19% and 15%, respectively, from 2013 (3.2, 5.1M), both on ESPN.
The 2.6 rating is the lowest for the race since at least 1998, falling below the previous mark set last year. Viewership ranks as the lowest since at least 2000, again falling below last year’s previous low.
All ten Sprint Cup races on cable this season have had a decline in ratings and viewership, including eight that hit at least a ten-year low.
Despite the low numbers, Sunday’s race had the smallest declines for any race on cable this season. Each of the others sank by double-digits. It also scored the second-highest rating and viewership ever for a non-Olympic program on NBCSN, trailing only the Brickyard 400 the previous week (3.0, 4.7M).
Ratings/Viewership For NASCAR on Cable This Year
| Race | Net | Rating | Lowest Since | Viewers | Lowest Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martinsville | FS1 | 2.4 | ≤ 1998 | 4.06M | ≤ 2001 |
| Kansas | FS1 | 1.6 | ever (2011) |
2.48M | ever (2011) |
| Dover | FS1 | 2.5 | ≤ 1998 | 3.94M | ≤ 2001 |
| Pocono | FS1 | 2.3 | ≤ 2000 | 3.61M | ≤ 2001 |
| Michigan | FS1 | 2.2 | ≤ 1996 | 3.52M | ≤ 2000 |
| Sonoma | FS1 | 2.3 | ≤ 1998 | 3.72M | ≤ 2002 |
| Kentucky | NBCSN | 2.0 | ever (2011) |
3.22M | ever (2011) |
| New Hampshire | NBCSN | 2.4 | ≤ 1998 | 3.67M | ≤ 2000 |
| Indianapolis | NBCSN | 3.0 | ever (1994) |
4.70M | ever (1994) |
| Pocono II | NBCSN | 2.6 | ≤ 1998 | 4.26M | ≤ 2000 |
(Sun. numbers from twitter.com/nbcsportspr)
