With the caveat that last year’s coverage aired opposite the NCAA Tournament, Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage had a solid increase on FOX.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup Food City 500 from Bristol earned a 4.4 overnight rating on FOX Sunday afternoon, up 10% from last year (4.0), up 13% from 2011 (3.9), and the highest for the spring Bristol race since 2008 (5.0).
Of note, this year also marked the first time since 2008 that the race did not air opposite the NCAA Tournament.
Overall, Sunday’s race earned the fifth-lowest overnight for the spring Bristol race since FOX took over NASCAR rights in 2001 (12 telecasts).
For the second-straight weekend, NASCAR Sprint Cup coverage tied the top overnight for any sports program on broadcast, matching the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on CBS. No actual sporting event came to within a ratings point of Sunday’s race.
Overnights For Spring Bristol Race
Past decade
(Sunday’s overnight from Sports Business Daily)
