NASCAR’s “Lady in Black” was rather tame in the television ratings.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Southern 500 from Darlington (SC) drew a 3.8 final rating and 5.9 million viewers on FOX, flat in ratings and down 3% in viewership from last year (3.8, 5.7M), and down 7% and 15%, respectively, from 2011 (4.1, 7.0M).
The 3.8 rating is tied with last year as the lowest for the Darlington race since 2000 (3.5).
In addition, the 3.8 is tied as the second-lowest of the season for NASCAR Sprint Cup action, matching the April 13 NRA 500 from Texas. Only the April 27 Toyota Owners 400 from Richmond drew a lower rating (3.7).
Of note, the three Saturday night NASCAR races this season are the only races to draw less than a 4.0 rating.
Despite the relatively low numbers, Saturday’s race outdrew the Knicks/Pacers NBA playoff game on ABC head-to-head (3.5, 5.3M).
(Weekend numbers from Fox Sports)
