Another week, another drop in the ratings for NASCAR.
The Goody’s Cool Orange 500 drew a 4.6/10 final rating on FOX last Sunday, down 13% from a 5.3/12 for last year’s race, and the lowest rating for the race since the 2002 edition drew a 3.2 on cable network FX. Since drawing a 6.2/15 in ’06, ratings for the race have declined 26%.
So far this season, every single NASCAR race has seen declining ratings from last year, with the past two races seeing the largest decreases of the season. Through Sunday, six NASCAR races have averaged a 6.1 rating on FOX, down 11% from a 6.8 through the same period in ’08.
Despite the lower ratings, the race managed to finish as the highest rated non-NCAA Tournament sports program of the weekend, barely beating a 4.4/9 for the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational on NBC.
| Date | Net | Race | 2009 rtg | 2008 rtg | 2007 rtg | vs. ’08 | vs. ’07 |
| Sun., 2/15/09 | FOX | Daytona 500 | 9.2 | 10.2 | 10.1 | -10% | -9% |
| Sun., 2/22/09 | FOX | Auto Club 500 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 6.7 | -3% | -10% |
| Sun., 3/1/09 | FOX | Shelby 427 | 6.5 | 7.1 | 6.3 | -8% | 3% |
| Sun., 3/8/09 | FOX | Kobalt Tools 500 | 5.5 | 6.4 | 5.2 | -14% | 6% |
| Sun., 3/22/09 | FOX | Food City 500 | 4.5 | 5.5 | 5.1 | -18% | -12% |
| Sun., 3/29/09 | FOX | Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 5.3 | -13% | -13% |
| Average rating through 6 races | 6.1 | 6.8 | 6.5 | -11% | -6% | ||
