A compelling finish was not enough to save Sunday’s Daytona 500 ratings.
The Daytona 500 earned a 5.1 overnight rating on FOX Sunday, down 22% from last year (6.5), down 16% from 2016 (6.1), and the lowest for the race in at least ten seasons.
It is likely that the 5.1 is the lowest ever for the race, but overnights prior to 2009 were not immediately available.
Austin Dillon‘s win fell below the previous mark of 5.6 in 2014, the last time the 500 aired opposite the Winter Olympics. This year’s race faced lighter Olympic competition than in 2014, when a six-hour rain delay pushed most of the race opposite the Closing Ceremony (9.5). NBC’s competing window this Sunday had only a 4.1.
Daytona 500 overnights have been declining for a decade, but the recent downturn has been especially sharp. The race has failed to crack a 7.0 overnight in four of the past five years, after hitting that mark in each of the previous five.
To put the numbers in perspective, three years ago the Atlanta 500 — not exactly on the level of Daytona — pulled the same 5.1 overnight.
Sunday was Danica Patrick‘s final NASCAR race. It is worth noting that five years ago, her first Daytona 500 had a 10.0 overnight, easily the highest since NASCAR’s 2000s heyday. Patrick had a top ten finish that year.
Despite the low numbers, Sunday’s race is on pace to finish as the top FOX program since last month’s NFC Championship Game.
Daytona 500 Overnight Ratings, Past Decade
[Sun. numbers from Fox Sports]
