Though up from last year’s rained out coverage, NASCAR’s Goody Fast Pain Relief 500 from Martinsville suffered a decline from the last time the race was run as scheduled.
FOX earned a 4.4 final rating and 7.229 million viewers for the April 3 NASCAR Sprint Cup Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500, down 4% in ratings and 2% in viewership from 2009 (4.6, 7.373M), and down 17% in both measures from 2008 (5.3, 8.716M).
Last year’s race was rained out and postponed to Monday. Rainout coverage on Sunday drew a 3.1 and 4.861 million viewers, while the race on Monday drew a 2.0 and 2.891 million.
Excluding last year’s rainout, this marks the lowest rated, least-viewed spring Martinsville race since 2002. That year, the race aired on cable network FX (3.2, 5.386M).
As recently as 2006, the race drew a comparably hefty 6.2 and 9.766 million viewers. Since then, viewership has declined each year (again excludes last year’s rainout).
The overnight rating for this past Saturday’s Samsung Mobile 500 from Texas is available here.
Ratings For NASCAR’s Spring Martinsville Race Since 1999
| Year | Date | Winner | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2011
|
Sun., 4/3/11 | Harvick |
FOX
|
4.4
|
7,229
|
|
2010*
|
Mon., 3/29/10 | Hamlin |
FOX
|
2.0
|
2,891
|
|
2009
|
Sun., 3/29/09 | Johnson |
FOX
|
4.6
|
7,373
|
|
2008
|
Sun., 3/30/08 | Hamlin |
FOX
|
5.3
|
8,716
|
|
2007
|
Sun., 4/1/07 | Johnson |
FOX
|
5.3
|
9,152
|
|
2006
|
Sun., 4/2/06 | Stewart |
FOX
|
6.2
|
9,766
|
|
2005
|
Sun., 4/10/05 | Gordon |
FOX
|
5.1
|
8,183
|
|
2004
|
Sun., 4/18/04 | Wallace |
FOX
|
5.4
|
8,552
|
|
2003
|
Sun., 4/13/03 | Gordon |
FOX
|
5.3
|
7,963
|
|
2002
|
Sun., 4/14/02 | Labonte |
FX
|
3.2
|
5,386
|
|
2001
|
Sun., 4/8/01 | Jarrett |
FOX
|
5.4
|
—
|
|
2000
|
Sun., 4/9/00 | Martin |
ESPN
|
3.7
|
—
|
|
1999
|
Sun., 4/18/99 | Andretti |
ESPN
|
3.7
|
—
|
(This year’s numbers from Sports Business Daily)
