After merely mediocre numbers on ABC, NASCAR had another poor outing in its return to ESPN.
Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 drew a 2.4 U.S. rating and 3.954 million viewers on ESPN, down 17% in ratings and 16% in viewership from last year (2.9, 4.702 mil, ABC), and down 27% and 24%, respectively, from 2008 (3.3, 5.173 mil, ABC).
Excluding rained-out races, this marks the lowest rated edition of the Tums Fast Relief 500 since 2000 (2.3, ESPN), and the least viewed since at least 2001 (viewership prior to 2002 was not available).
As recently as five years ago, the race drew a 4.7 rating and 7.104 million viewers on NBC.
Additionally, the 2.4 rating is tied as the third-lowest ever for a Chase For The Cup race. The five Chase For The Cup races on ESPN this year rank as the five lowest rated Chase races ever.
The five Chase races on ESPN have each had double-digit declines in ratings and viewership from last year. By comparison, the lone race on ABC was down single-digits. All Chase races have been down double-digits from 2008, regardless of network.
Even with the low numbers, Sunday’s race ranked as the #21 most-viewed program of the week on cable, and the third-most viewed program of the week on ESPN.
Of the 27 NASCAR races that can be compared to last year, 22 have had declines in ratings and 21 have had declines in viewership.
(Rating from ESPN; weekly cable rankings from TV By The Numbers)
