ESPN earned the worst-ever rating for NASCAR’s Chase For the Cup Sunday.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Sylvania 300 from New Hampshire, the second race of the Chase For the Cup, earned a 2.2 U.S. rating and 3.517 million viewers on ESPN Sunday afternoon — down 19% in ratings and 17% in viewership from last year (2.7, 4.235M), and down 4% in both measures compared to 2010 (2.3, 3.677M).
Excluding rainouts, the 2.2 rating is the lowest ever for a NASCAR Chase For the Cup race (dates back to 2004). The previous record low was a 2.3 for the 2010 Sylvania 300 and the 2010 Price Chopper 400.
From 2004 to 2010, the lowest rated Chase For the Cup race was the 2004 Sylvania 300 on TNT, which earned a 2.8 U.S. rating. Eleven races since — all on ESPN — have drawn a lower rating, including both races this year.
The 2.2 rating is also the lowest for the Sylvania 300 since at least 1999.
(Sunday’s numbers from ESPN)
