NASCAR ratings hit yet another low last weekend.
The NASCAR Cup Series playoffs from Charlotte earned a 1.8 rating and 2.9 million viewers on the NBC broadcast network last Sunday, down 42% in ratings and 44% in viewership from 2014 on ESPN, the last time the race was run on the day it was scheduled (3.1, 5.1M).
Compared to last year — when the race was postponed a day due to rain and rescheduled for the same Sunday afternoon timeslot — ratings fell 14% from a 2.1 and viewership 11% from 3.2 million. Postponed races typically pull much lower numbers than those that are run as scheduled, but last year’s had the advantage of airing on both NBC and NBCSN.
This year’s race was scheduled to air on Saturday night when the NASCAR schedule was originally released, but was moved to Sunday afternoon in April. It was moved a second time last week, with the start time shifting from 2 PM ET to 1 PM to avoid rain.
Keeping that that caveat in mind, Martin Truex Jr.‘s win was the lowest rated Cup Series race on broadcast television since at least 2000 and the least-watched since at least 2001. That excludes races that were postponed or delayed by several hours.
The previous lows were a 2.1 and 3.4 million for Kansas last year.
It was also the lowest rated Charlotte race since at least 2000 and the least-watched since at least 2001. Even including rainouts, it was the second-lowest in both measures ahead of only 2015 on NBCSN (1.6, 2.7M). The race had not previously competed with NFL games.
Charlotte was the 24th of 29 races this season to at least tie an all-time or decade-plus ratings low, and the 22nd to do so in viewership.
[Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 10.11]
