One week after a disastrous 2.8 rating at Daytona, NASCAR scored a healthy 2.8 rating at Daytona.
Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Daytona road race averaged a 2.8 rating and 4.75 million viewers on FOX, up 40% in ratings and 47% in viewership from the inaugural edition of the race on last year, which aired in August on NBC (2.0, 3.24M). Both this year and last, the Daytona “Roval” was added to the schedule as a replacement for a canceled race (Watkins Glen last year, Fontana this year).
The road race averaged the same rating as the previous week’s Daytona 500 and only slightly fewer viewers (4.75M, compared to 4.83M). The 500, which was delayed more than five hours due to rain, was the lowest rated and least-watched ever.
Compared to last year’s second race of the season, Las Vegas, ratings fell 13% and viewership 14% from a 3.2 and 5.50 million. Ratings and viewership rank as the lowest on record for the season’s second race, but the lack of drop-off from the 500 to the following week is likely unprecedented.
As is typical this time of year, NASCAR took top honors among weekend sportscasts. Its 0.85 rating in adults 18-49 ranked third among all weekend television shows behind ABC’s American Idol (1.0) and NBC’s Saturday Night Live (1.2). In viewership and the key young adult demographics, the race dominated the FOX Sunday night lineup that was preempted by the 500 a week before.
In other NASCAR action, the corresponding Xfinity Series race averaged a 0.8 and 1.27 million on FS1 Saturday — up from last year’s 0.6 and 1.03 million on NBCSN.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 2.23]
