The numbers were about what one would expect for NASCAR’s Monday make-up race from Bristol. In other news, IndyCar benefited from NASCAR’s rainout on Sunday, and the NHRA posted a fourth-straight drop.
1.5 Overnight For Bristol Make-Up
- Rain-delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Bristol (Tenn.) earned a 1.5 overnight rating on FOX Monday afternoon. Last year’s race had a 3.2 run as scheduled in its Sunday afternoon time slot. Per Sports Business Daily writer Adam Stern, FOX earned a 2.2 overnight for its previous Monday afternoon make-up race, Texas in 2014. Shifting to Saturday, the Xfinity Series race at Bristol had a 0.7 (-13%) and 1.1 million (-11%) on Fox Sports 1, with the caveat that it experienced nearly two hours of delays (not included in the figures).
IndyCar Alabama Viewership Highest Yet
- IndyCar Series racing from Alabama scored 470,000 viewers Sunday afternoon, up 68% from last year (279K), up 57% from 2015 (300K), and the largest audience in the history of the race (dates back to 2010). The previous high was 400,000 in 2014. Unlike in previous years, the race avoided head-to-head competition with NASCAR, which was rained out.
Fourth-Straight Drop For NHRA
- Tape-delayed NHRA eliminations from Houston had 490,000 viewers on Fox Sports 1 Sunday evening, down 19% from last year (602K) but up 23% from live coverage on ESPN2 in 2015 (399K). After a 91% increase for the season opener, which moved up from FS1 to FOX, the past four NHRA eliminations have declined.
