After a run of three straight increases, NASCAR ratings hit a speed bump at Martinsville.
Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race from Martinsville (Va.) earned a 1.5 rating and 2.46 million viewers on FS1, down 35% in ratings and 38% in viewership from 2017, the last time the race was run as scheduled (2.3, 3.96M). Last year’s race was postponed to Monday due to rain and had 1.19 million.
Excluding rainouts, Brad Keselowski‘s win was the lowest rated edition of the race since at least 1998 and the least-watched since at least 2001. The race had a 2.5 and 4.23 million as recently as 2016.
The race snapped a streak of three straight increases for NASCAR’s Cup Series, the longest such streak since 2016. It was the third race this season to hit an all-time or decade-plus low, joining Daytona and Atlanta.
Despite the lower numbers, the race delivered the largest FS1 audience since Game 7 of last year’s MLB National League Championship Series.
Outside of the NCAA Tournament, it was the weekend’s most-watched sports program on any network, ahead of Sunday’s PGA Tour coverage on NBC (2.39M). The PGA had a higher rating (1.6).
Richmond, Va., led all markets with a 6.2 rating, followed by Greensboro, N.C. (4.5) and Charlotte (4.2).
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily, Fox Sports]
