For the first time all season, television ratings increased for NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series.
The NASCAR Sprint Cup race from Pocono earned a 3.0 U.S. rating and 4.5 million viewers on TNT Sunday afternoon, up 7% in ratings and 3% in viewership from last year (2.8, 4.4M), but down 6% and 15%, respectively, from 2012 (3.2, 5.3M).
Sunday’s race was the first of the season to have an increase in ratings and only the second to have an increase in viewership. With that said, the race also ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed regular Sprint Cup race of the season (the All-Star Race had a 2.1 and 3.5 million on Fox Sports 1).
The 3.0 is also tied as the second-lowest for the Pocono race since at least 2000, matching 2007 and ahead of only last year.
For the week, NASCAR on TNT tied the second-largest audience on cable — matching an hour of WWE Raw on USA Network.
(Sun. numbers from Bloomberg/TV By the Numbers)
