Run as scheduled for the first time in three years, NASCAR from Bristol was less of a draw in its new date.
NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Bristol (TN) had a 3.2 overnight rating on FOX Sunday afternoon, down 27% from 2013, the last time it was run as scheduled (4.4). The race was deluged by rain the past two years, with FOX airing just a few laps before handing off to Fox Sports 1. The network’s abbreviated coverage had a 2.9 overnight last year and a 4.1 in 2014.
Excluding rainouts, the 3.2 is the lowest for the spring Bristol race since it moved to FOX in 2001. The previous low was a 3.9 in 2011. It is also the lowest overnight for a Sunday Sprint Cup race on FOX, falling below a 3.3 for Dover in 2014.
Overall, the 3.2 is tied as the fourth-lowest for any Sprint Cup race on FOX, regardless of day — matching Darlington in 2014 and ahead of only Texas the previous week (2.5), Texas last year (2.9) and Richmond in 2014 (3.0).
Head-to-head, Carl Edwards‘ win trailed competing coverage of the Pistons/Cavaliers NBA playoff game on ABC (4.1). As NASCAR ratings tend to rise from the overnights to the final, while NBA ratings decline, the race could still come out ahead when the final numbers are released.
The past six Sprint Cup races have now set or tied a multi-year low, and that does not even include Atlanta — which had the lowest overnight for the post-Daytona race since FOX began airing NASCAR in 2001.
(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily)
