After two weeks of double-digit drops, NASCAR overnights fell only slightly over the weekend.
NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Las Vegas drew a 4.1 overnight rating on FOX Sunday afternoon, down 5% from last year (4.3) and even with 2014 (4.1). The 4.1 is tied as the lowest overnight for the race since it moved to FOX in 2001, matching 2014 and 2010.
The multi-year low continued a rough start to the season for NASCAR. The Daytona 500 had its second-lowest overnight on record and Atlanta was the lowest rated post-Daytona race in the metered markets since FOX acquired rights.
There was some good news in Sunday’s numbers, as the 5% decline marked a significant improvement from the previous two weeks — when overnights sank 16% at Daytona and 27% at Atlanta.
For the weekend, NASCAR ranked as easily the highest rated sporting event on any network — comfortably ahead of the second-place finisher, the final round of the PGA Tour at Doral (3.0). The gap will widen in the final tally, as NASCAR ratings tend to rise from the overnights.
(Sun. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily)
