Daytona 500 TV Ratings: Delay, Olympics, Lead to Record-Low Rating

Television ratings were the lowest ever for the Daytona 500.

Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Daytona 500 had a 5.6 rating and 9.3 million viewers on FOX, according to Nielsen fast-nationals — down 43% in ratings and 44% in viewership from last year (9.9, 16.7M), and down 30% and 32%, respectively, from 2012 (8.0, 13.7M). The numbers include the 1-2:17 PM and 8:25-11:23 PM ET portions of the race, not the rain delay coverage.

The 5.6 rating is the lowest for the race since live start-to-finish coverage began in 1979. The previous low was a 7.3 for the 1990 race on CBS. Viewership was also the lowest since complete coverage began in ’79, dropping below the previous mark of 9.7 million on CBS in 1985.

After just 90 minutes of action, Sunday’s race was delayed for over six hours due to severe weather. The early portion of the race had a 6.3 rating and 10.1 million viewers, while the primetime resumption earned a 5.5 and 9.1 million. The rain delay earned a 4.0 overnight rating; fast-nationals were not immediately available.

The rain delay caused the bulk of the Daytona 500 to air directly opposite coverage of the Olympics Closing Ceremony on NBC. The Closing Ceremony beat the primetime portion of the race by 55% in ratings (8.7 to 5.5) and 66% in viewership (15.1M to 9.1M).

2014 marked the third time in five years that the Daytona 500 has experienced a lengthy delay. The 2010 race, which also aired opposite the Winter Olympics, experienced delays due to potholes on the track and ended up with a 7.7 rating and 13.4 million viewers — until this year, the smallest audience for the Daytona 500 since FOX acquired rights.

The 2012 race was actually postponed a day due to rain. Airing in primetime on a Monday night, it earned an 8.7 rating and 15.6 million viewers.

Of note, this year marks the sixth-consecutive Daytona 500 to earn a single-digit rating. Even last year’s race, which received a generous boost from Danica Patrick, finished just shy at 9.9. During NASCAR’s early 2000s heyday, the race hit double-digits in seven out of eight years (2001-02, 2004-08).