Ratings for Sunday’s rain-shortened Daytona 500 hit their lowest levels since FOX began airing the event in 2001.
The Daytona 500, won by Matt Kenseth, drew a 9.2/19 final rating and 16 million viewers on FOX Sunday afternoon, down 10% in ratings and viewership from a 10.2/20 with 17.8 million for last year’s race, and the lowest rated Daytona 500 since the 2000 race drew an 8.4/22 and 12.9 million on CBS.
The 9.2 is also off 6% from a 9.8 for the last shortened Daytona 500 — the 2003 race, which drew a 9.8/21 and 16.8 million viewers on FOX.
The decline in ratings can no doubt be attributed to the rain, which caused the race to be called with 48 laps remaining. The final half-hour of the abbreviated race drew a 9.8 rating, down 19% from a 12.1 for the final half hour of last year’s complete race.
Despite the drop in ratings, the 9.2 for the Daytona 500 surpasses the World Series (8.4), the final round of The Masters (8.6), the Kentucky Derby (8.9) and the Belmont Stakes (9.0). However, the 9.2 puts the Daytona 500 below last June’s NBA Finals (9.3), the most recent Final Four (9.4) and January’s Bowl Championship Series (10.2).
Ratings/viewership for the Daytona 500.
2009: 9.2/19, 16.0 mil: Matt Kenseth (Sun., 2/15/09 FOX)
2008: 10.2/20, 17.8 mil: Ryan Newman (Sun., 2/17/08 FOX)
2007: 10.1/20, 17.5 mil: Kevin Harvick (Sun., 2/18/07 FOX)
2006: 11.3/23, 12.5 mil: Jimmie Johnson (Sun., 2/19/06 NBC)
2005: 10.9/23, 18.7 mil: Jeff Gordon (Sun., 2/20/05 FOX)
