After Danica Patrick-fueled hype last year, ratings and viewership dropped for Saturday’s Nationwide Series opener on ESPN2.
Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series Drive4COPD 300 earned a 2.1 U.S. rating and 3.247 million viewers on ESPN2, down 25% in ratings and 24% in viewership from last year (2.8, 4.271M), but up 5% and 0.3%, respectively, from 2009 (2.0, 3.238M).
Though down from last year, Saturday’s race ranks as the fifth-most viewed Nationwide Series race ever on cable. Last year’s Drive4COPD 300, which featured Patrick’s NASCAR debut, stands as the most-viewed ever.
On another positive note, the race also had an 8% increase in ratings among men 18-34. Sunday’s Sprint Cup Daytona 500 was up 46% in that demographic.
(ESPN)
