The trend of declining NASCAR ratings has extended into 2010.
Last Sunday’s Auto Club 500 drew a 5.6 final rating on FOX, down 7% from last year (6.0), down 10% from ’08 (6.2), and the lowest rating for the race in seven years (2003, 5.3).
To put the rating in perspective, the Auto Club 500 drew a 7.9 rating as recently as 2005, and averaged at least a 6.0 each year from 2004-09.
Ratings for the race have declined each of the past five years.
Overall, ratings have declined for all four NASCAR telecasts on FOX this season (Budweiser Shootout, Daytona 500 Pole Qualifying, Daytona 500 and Auto Club 500). Dating back to 2009, ratings have dropped for 29 of the last 37 NASCAR Sprint Cup telecasts.
Despite the decline, Sunday’s race was easily the highest rated non-Olympic sporting event of the weekend, topping the second-highest rated event (Celtics/Nuggets on ABC) by 144%.
The race even edged NBC’s Sunday afternoon coverage of the Winter Olympics, 5.6 to 5.5.
