Ratings are smaller in Texas.
NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Texas earned a 2.7 final rating and 4.3 million viewers on FOX last Saturday night, down 7% in ratings and 10% in viewership from last year (2.9, 4.8M). The start of the race was delayed more than an hour due to rain.
Excluding rainouts — i.e., races that were postponed rather than delayed — the 2.7 rating is the lowest ever for a NASCAR Sprint Cup race on FOX. This is the second straight year Texas has set a network low, though rain was clearly a factor this time around.
The 2.7 is also the lowest ever for the spring Texas race (dates back to 1997). Since earning a 5.6 in 2007, ratings for the race have declined in each successive year (again excluding rainouts).
Ratings and viewership have now declined for all-but-one Sprint Cup telecast this year, the lone exception being Martinsville on Fox Sports 1 the previous week (+4% in both measures). Texas was the fourth of the past five races to hit a multi-year or record low.
Despite the lower numbers, NASCAR on FOX topped the combined audience of the Warriors/Grizzlies and Cavaliers/Bulls NBA games on ESPN and ABC (4.2M). Keep in mind ESPN’s Warriors coverage was blacked out in the Bay Area. For the weekend, it was the top sporting event outside of The Masters.
Lowest NASCAR Sprint Cup Ratings Ever on FOX
Saturday night races in bold
| Rating | Frequency | Race |
|---|---|---|
| 2.7 | Once | 2016 Texas |
| 2.9 | Once | 2015 Texas |
| 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 |
(Sat. numbers via Programming Insider)
