A NASCAR on FOX campaign marked by record and near-record lows ended with another low rating last week.
Last week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Dover earned a 3.5 final rating and 5.4 million viewers on FOX, down 8% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year (3.8, 6.0M) and down 5% in both measures from 2012 (3.7, 5.7M). The 3.5 rating is tied as the second-lowest ever for NASCAR Sprint Cup racing on FOX, matching the Kansas race three weeks earlier.
The 3.5 is also the lowest rating ever for a Sunday afternoon NASCAR race on FOX. The previous mark was a 3.7 for two previous Dover races. Four of the six lowest rated Sprint Cup races on FOX took place this season alone.
Every single race on FOX this season — including the All-Star Race on Fox Sports 1 — had a decline in ratings compared to last year, and all but one race had a decline in viewership. The lone exception was the Darlington race, which carved out a 2% increase in viewership over last season.
Despite the lower numbers, NASCAR on FOX was the #2 sports program of the weekend on television, trailing only Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals (4.9, 8.2M). It finished well ahead of the #3 program, Game 7 of the NHL Western Conference Finals (2.3, 4.1M).
Lowest NASCAR Sprint Cup Ratings Ever on FOX
Saturday night races in bold
| Rating | Frequency | Race |
|---|---|---|
| 3.3 | Once | 2014 Richmond |
| 3.5 | Twice | 2014 Kansas, 2014 Dover |
| 3.6 | Three times | 2009 Phoenix, 2012 Richmond, 2014 Darlington |
| 3.7 | Six times | 2010 Richmond, 2010 Phoenix, 2010 Dover, 2011 Richmond, 2012 Dover, 2013 Richmond |
| 3.8 | Five times | 2012 Fontana, 2012 Darlington, 2013 Texas, 2013 Darlington, 2013 Dover |
| 3.9 | Once | 2011 Kansas |
(Last wknd. numbers from Sports Business Daily)
