ESPN2 is drawing strong numbers for what essentially amounts to NASCAR’s minor league.
Coverage of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam’s Town 300 drew a 1.8 U.S. rating (2.1 cable) and 2.8 million viewers on ESPN2 last Saturday, flat in ratings from last year’s race, and one of the highest rated, most viewed sporting events of the week on cable.
Compared to other sporting events that week, the 2.8 million viewers Sam’s Town 300 beat several college and pro basketball games, including a Suns/Lakers NBA game on TNT (2/26, 2.6 million viewers) and a Kansas/Oklahoma college basketball on ESPN (2/23, 2.5 million viewers). Additonally, the 1.8 U.S. rating for the Nationwide Series race on cable beat the 1.4 rating for coverage of the Accenture Match Play Championship on NBC earlier that day.
Overall, the Sam’s Town 300 was the fifth-highest rated sporting event of last weekend on broadcast or cable, behind only NASCAR on FOX, two NBA games on ABC and the final round of the Accenture Match Play Championship on NBC.
