After years of decline, NASCAR finds itself on a rare ratings winning streak.
Last Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Auto Club 400 earned a 2.5 rating and 4.18 million viewers on FOX, up a tick in ratings and 4% in viewership from last year (2.4, 4.03M), but down 22% and 19% respectively from 2017 (3.2, 5.19M).
Kyle Busch‘s win was the third straight Cup Series race to increase over last year, marking the first time since May 2016 that three consecutive races have increased.
Last season, it took until Watkins Glen in August before NASCAR scored its third increase of the season. Only four races all of last season posted an increase.
The race snapped a three-year slide at Fontana (Ca.), which had not posted an increase since 2015.
Keep in mind that prior to this year, the race aired opposite the NCAA Tournament from 2011-18. Last year’s race faced the opening weekend of play, and the 2017 race aired opposite the Elite Eight.
Despite the increase, Sunday’s numbers remained historically low. Ratings and viewership exceeded only last year as the lowest for race since at least 1998 and 2001, respectively.
For the weekend, NASCAR ranked third among sports programs behind the NCAA Tournament Selection Show (3.7, 6.2M) and the competing final round of The Players Championship on NBC (2.75, 4.19M). It ranked further down the list in adults 18-49, behind four college basketball games and the Selection Show.
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 3.20]
