NASCAR Ratings: Third Record-Low in Four Weeks

The prolonged NASCAR ratings slide has not yet hit bottom.

Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series at Phoenix scored a 2.8 rating and 4.6 million viewers on FOX, down 15% in ratings and viewership from last year (3.3, 5.4M), down 30% and 31% respectively from 2016 (4.0, 6.6M), and the lowest rating and viewership in the history of the race (dates back to 2005).

Three of the first four Cup Series races this season have hit all-time record lows, with Phoenix joining Las Vegas and the Daytona 500. All four races have declined double-digits from last year.

The last two races — Phoenix and Las Vegas — have failed to crack a 3.0 rating or five million viewers. Last year, it took until Martinsville on FS1 before any race fell below those marks. The races rank among the ten lowest rated ever on FOX (dates back to 2001).

Kevin Harvick‘s win faced unusually tough competition from the PGA Tour. With Tiger Woods in contention to win the Tampa Bay Championship, ratings and viewership for that event soared to a 4.4 (+193%) and 6.9 million (+201%), the highest for a non-major since 2013.

While that likely played some role in Sunday’s performance, it is doubtful the numbers would have been much better otherwise. Las Vegas put up similar figures the previous week against light competition.

Ratings for the Phoenix race have declined in five straight years and viewership in seven. As recently as three years ago, the race had a comparably strong 4.1 and 7.0 million. Seven years ago, when it took place in the second week of the season, it had a 5.9 and 10.3 million.