It is no surprise given the circumstances, but NASCAR Texas ratings hit an all-time low over the weekend.
Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Texas 500 earned a 1.7 rating and 2.82 million viewers on FS1, down 37% in ratings and 38% in viewership from last year (2.7, 4.5M) and down 37% and 35% respectively from 2016 (2.7, 4.3M), both of which aired on FOX.
Kyle Busch‘s win was the lowest rated edition of the race (dates back to 1997) and the least-watched since at least 2000 (viewership prior to 2001 was not available). That includes years in which the race was postponed due to rain.
The record-low numbers are no surprise. The race has hit an all-time low in ratings and/or viewership every year for the past decade (excluding rainouts). The move from FOX to FS1 — and competition from the final round of the Masters — only exacerbated the free fall.
Texas was the fifth of six races this season to hit an all-time record low, joining the Daytona 500, Las Vegas, Phoenix and Fontana. Atlanta, the only exception, posted its worst numbers in three years.
Despite the record-low numbers, Sunday’s race was the most-watched sporting event of the weekend outside of the Masters. It topped the previous night’s Thunder-Rockets NBA Saturday Primetime game on ABC (2.67M).
[Wknd. numbers via ShowBuzz Daily 4.10]
