NASCAR’s Chase For the Cup is heating up on ESPN.
Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Tums Fast Relief 500 from Martinsville, the seventh race of the Chase for the Cup, earned a 3.1 U.S. rating and 4.923 million viewers on ESPN — up 29% in ratings and 25% in viewership from last year (2.4, 3.954M), and up 7% and 5%, respectively, from 2009 (2.9, 4.702M, ABC).
This marks the first time that a Chase race on ESPN has had a higher rating and more viewers than the same race in 2009, the last year ABC carried all the races.
Overall, the telecast ranks as the highest rated and most-viewed fall Martinsville race since 2008 (3.3, 5.173M, ABC).
One week earlier, the Good Sam Club 500 from Talladega earned a 3.3 and 5.430 million viewers on ESPN, up 6% in ratings and 5% in viewership from last year (3.1, 5.177M), but down 20% and 18%, respectively, from 2009 (4.1, 6.627M, ABC).
The race ranks as the highest rated and most-viewed Chase For the Cup race since ESPN began televising the bulk of the races.
Despite the increase, this marks the second-lowest rated edition of the race since 2000 (3.0), ahead of only last year.
The 2011 Sprint Cup season has been fairly positive from a ratings perspective. While the numbers remain generally low historically, most races have been up from last year.
Of the 26 races that can be compared to last year, 15 have had increases in ratings and 18% have had increases in viewership. Every Chase race that can be compared to last year has either been flat or up compared to last year’s unusually low numbers.
Ratings/Viewership For Fall Martinsville Race (Dating Back to 2001)
|
Year
|
Date
|
Winner
|
Net
|
Rating
|
Viewers (000)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2011
|
Sun., 10/30/11 | Stewart | ESPN |
3.1
|
4,923
|
|
2010
|
Sun., 10/24/10 | Hamlin | ESPN |
2.4
|
3,954
|
|
2009
|
Sun., 10/25/09 | Hamlin | ABC |
2.9
|
4,702
|
|
2008
|
Sun., 10/19/08 | Johnson | ABC |
3.3
|
5,173
|
|
2007
|
Sun., 10/21/07 | Johnson | ABC |
3.7
|
5,634
|
|
2006
|
Sun., 10/22/06 | Johnson | NBC |
4.1
|
6,625
|
|
2005
|
Sun., 10/23/05 | Gordon | NBC |
4.7
|
7,104
|
|
2004
|
Sun., 10/24/04 | Johnson | NBC |
4.4
|
6,820
|
|
2003
|
Sun., 10/19/03 | Gordon | NBC |
4.0
|
6,394
|
|
2002
|
Sun., 10/20/02 | Busch | NBC |
4.4
|
6,881
|
|
2001*
|
Mon., 10/15/01 | Craven | TNT |
1.2
|
—
|
Ratings/Viewership For Fall Talladega Race (Dating Back to 2001)
|
Year
|
Date
|
Winner
|
Net
|
Rating
|
Viewers (000)
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
2011
|
Sun., 10/23/11 | Bowyer | ESPN |
3.3
|
5,430
|
|
2010
|
Sun., 10/31/10 | Bowyer | ESPN |
3.1
|
5,177
|
|
2009
|
Sun., 11/1/09 | McMurray | ABC |
4.2
|
6,627
|
|
2008
|
Sun., 10/5/08 | Stewart | ABC |
4.6
|
7,444
|
|
2007
|
Sun., 10/7/07 | Gordon | ABC |
4.6
|
7,362
|
|
2006
|
Sun., 10/8/06 | Vickers | NBC |
4.8
|
7,444
|
|
2005
|
Sun., 10/2/05 | Jarrett | NBC |
5.3
|
8,180
|
|
2004
|
Sun., 10/3/04 | Earnhardt, Jr. | NBC |
5.4
|
8,467
|
|
2003
|
Sun., 9/28/03 | Waltrip | NBC |
5.5
|
8,940
|
|
2002
|
Sun., 10/6/02 | Earnhardt, Jr. | NBC |
4.8
|
7,547
|
|
2001
|
Sun., 10/21/01 | Earnhardt, Jr. | NBC |
4.8
|
—
|
(This year’s numbers from ESPN)
