After a solid performance last year, last Sunday’s Sprint Cup race from Martinsville tied a multi-year low in television ratings.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Tums Fast Relief 500 from Martinsville, the seventh race in the Chase For the Cup, drew a 2.4 U.S. rating and 3.617 million viewers on ESPN last week, down 23% in ratings and 27% in viewership from last year (3.1, 4.923M), and flat and down 9%, respectively, from 2010 (2.4, 3.954M).
The 23% decline marks the largest drop in ratings for NASCAR on any network this season.
Excluding rainouts, the 2.4 rating is tied as the lowest for the fall Martinsville race since 2000 (2.3) and the fifth-lowest for any Chase For the Cup telecast (87 telecasts dating back to 2004).
The 14 lowest-rated Chase For the Cup races have each aired on ESPN, including five this year alone (see table).
Of the six Chase For the Cup races that can be compared to last year, five have had declines in ratings, and all six have had declines in viewership.
15 Lowest Rated Chase For the Cup Races
| # | Date | Location | Winner | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Sun., 9/30/12 | Dover | Keselowski | ESPN |
2.2
|
3,581
|
| T1 | Sun., 9/23/12 | New Hampshire | Hamlin | ESPN |
2.2
|
3,517
|
| T3 | Sun., 10/3/10 | Kansas | Biffle | ESPN |
2.3
|
3,742
|
| T3 | Sun., 9/19/10 | New Hampshire | Bowyer | ESPN |
2.3
|
3,677
|
| T5 | Sun., 10/28/12 | Martinsville | Johnson | ESPN |
2.4
|
3,617
|
| T5 | Sun., 10/24/10 | Martinsville | Hamlin | ESPN |
2.4
|
3,954
|
| T5 | Sun., 9/26/10 | Dover | Johnson | ESPN |
2.4
|
3,966
|
| T8 | Sun., 10/21/12 | Kansas | Kenseth | ESPN |
2.5
|
3,897
|
| T8 | Sun., 11/14/10 | Phoenix | Edwards | ESPN |
2.5
|
4,201
|
| T8 | Sun., 10/10/10 | Fontana | Stewart | ESPN |
2.5
|
4,072
|
| T11 | Sun., 9/16/12 | Chicago | Keselowski | ESPN |
2.6
|
3,949
|
| T11 | Sun., 10/9/11 | Kansas | Johnson | ESPN |
2.6
|
4,173
|
| T11 | Sun., 10/2/11 | Dover | Ku. Busch | ESPN |
2.6
|
4,093
|
| 14 | Sun., 9/25/11 | New Hampshire | Stewart | ESPN |
2.7
|
4,235
|
| 15 | Sun., 9/19/04 | New Hampshire | Ku. Busch | TNT |
2.8
|
4,250
|
(Last Sunday’s numbers from ESPN)
