A move from cable to broadcast gave NASCAR a much needed boost in the ratings, but the numbers were still low historically.
NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Kansas, the fifth race in the Chase For the Cup, earned a 2.5 final rating and 4.0 million viewers on NBC last Sunday — up 8% in ratings and 12% in viewership from last year (2.3, 3.6M) but down 5% and 3%, respectively, from 2013 (2.6, 4.2M), both of which aired on ESPN.
The last time the race aired on broadcast, 2009, it had a 3.2 and 5.3 million on ABC. The last time it aired on NBC, 2006, it had a 4.0 and 6.3 million.
Joey Logano‘s win ranks as the highest rated and most-watched Chase For the Cup telecast this year, easily topping the previous highs of 1.9 and 3.2 million. It also ranks as the first NASCAR race since Darlington, which also aired on NBC, to have an increase in ratings or viewership.
With that said, the race also ranks as the lowest rated and least-watched Chase For the Cup telecast ever on broadcast television — falling below the previous mark of 2.9 and 4.7 million for the 2009 Martinsville race on ABC. Overall, the 2.5 rating is the lowest for any Sprint Cup race on broadcast since at least the 2003 season.
(Wknd. numbers from NBC)
