For the second straight week, NASCAR had only a slight decline in the metered markets.
NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Phoenix drew a 3.6 overnight rating on FOX Sunday afternoon, down 5% from last year (3.8), and down 25% from 2014, when the race was the second of the season (4.8). The 3.6 overnight is the lowest for NASCAR from Phoenix since 2010, the last time it aired on a Saturday night (3.4).
The six-year low continued a season-long trend for NASCAR. Las Vegas tied its lowest overnight since moving to FOX in 2001, Atlanta earned the lowest overnight since 2000 for the second race of the season, and the Daytona 500 had its second-lowest overnight since live start-to-finish coverage began in 1979.
After overnights dropped by double-digits at Daytona (-16%) and Atlanta (-27%), Sunday’s race was the second straight to drop by only five percent. While a decline is still a decline, the single-digit slide marks a noticeable improvement.
For the weekend, NASCAR on FOX trailed only the NCAA Selection Show (3.7) among sports programs. It will almost certainly come out ahead when the final numbers are released.
(Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily)
