If people do indeed watch NASCAR for the crashes, it didn’t show last Sunday.
Sunday’s Amp Energy 500, featuring Ryan Newman‘s “frightening crash” late in the race, drew a 3.8 overnight rating on ABC — the highest overnight rating of the season for a NASCAR race on ABC, but still down 5% from last year.
This marks the lowest overnight for the Amp Energy 500 since it returned to broadcast in ’01. Overnight ratings have either declined or been flat for the race every year since ’03 — including a decline every year since ’05.
On a positive note for ABC, the 3.8 overnight is a 52% increase over the 2.5 for last week’s Tums Fast Relief 500.
Additionally, ABC’s six NASCAR races this season have averaged a 20% increase from the overnight to the final rating, meaning Sunday’s race is on pace to draw a 4.6 final rating — which would tie last year’s rating and mark the highest rating for any NASCAR race since April.
Source: Jayski, The Sporting News
