Thanks in part to a lengthy-rain delay, final ratings for the Indianapolis 500 fell 16% from a 5.1 last year to a 4.3 this year. The last Indy 500 to see extensive rain delays was in 2004; that race drew a 4.1 final rating.
For the first time since 2004, NASCAR’s Coca-Cola 600, run on the same day as the Indy 500, beat the most high profile event on the IRL circuit. The Coca-Cola 600 did continue a trend of NASCAR races seeing modest declines, however; the race was down 12% from a 5.1 last year to a 4.5 this year. Interestingly, NASCAR does not see a bump from the overnight to the final rating.
Can the relatively low rating for the Indy 500 be entirely blamed on the rain? Not necessarily. While the Indianapolis 500 has drawn less than a 4.5 rating only twice (the rain-soaked 2004 and 2007 editions), the fact is that ratings for the Indy 500 have been on a steady decline over the past decade. This year will be only the fourth time that the Indy 500 has drawn less than a 5.0 rating since at least 1992, and all four occurrences have been in this decade (2002, 2003, 2004 and 2007). Thanks in large part to the mainstream attention given Danica Patrick, the 500 saw significant ratings increases in 2005 and 2006, but the interest surrounding Patrick (who has yet to win an IRL race), and any renewed interest in the race in general — may be waning.
