After some rare good news at Charlotte’s Roval, NASCAR fell back to earth at Dover last weekend.
Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series playoffs at Dover had a 1.2 rating and 2.01 million viewers on NBCSN, down a tick in ratings and 2% in viewership from last year (1.3, 2.05M) and down 20% and 21% respectively from 2016 (1.5, 2.56M).
Chase Elliott‘s win ranks as the lowest rated edition of the race since at least 2000 and the least-watched since at least 2001.
Overall, it tied the second-lowest Cup Series rating since at least 2000, ahead of only Richmond two weeks earlier (1.0). It also earned the third-smallest audience, ahead of Richmond (1.77M) and New Hampshire last year (1.99M).
Despite the historic lows, Sunday’s race did hold up better than most this season. It was the 22nd of 26 Cup Series races this season to post a decline in ratings and viewership, but the first of those that did not drop by double-digits.
Overall, Dover was the 21st race this season to hit an all-time or decade-plus low. It was the seventh race with less than a 1.5 rating, nearly doubling last season (four). Prior to last season, no Cup Series race on record had dropped below a 1.5.
Head-to-head, NASCAR did edge the competing Brewers-Rockies MLB Division Series game on MLB Network (1.15, 2.00M), though the baseball game came out ahead in adults 18-49 (0.43 to 0.30). It trailed the weekend’s three other baseball playoff games. It also trailed the competing Pro Bull Riders Tour event on CBS, which benefited from an NFL lead-in (1.4, 2.13M).
Lowest NASCAR Ratings, Viewership (2001-Present)
This year’s races highlighted
| Lowest Rated | Least-Watched | ||||||||
| # | YEAR | GAME | RTG | NET | # | YEAR | GAME | VWRS | NET |
| 1 | 2018 | Richmond (Sept.) | 1.0 | NBCSN | 1 | 2018 | Richmond (Sept.) | 1.774M | NBCSN |
| 2 | 2018 | Dover | 1.2 | NBCSN | 2 | 2017 | NH (Sept.) | 1.992M | NBCSN |
| 2018 | Kansas | 1.2 | FS1 | 3 | 2018 | Dover | 2.009M | NBCSN | |
| 2017 | Richmond (Sept.) | 1.2 | NBCSN | 4 | 2018 | Kansas | 2.038M | FS1 | |
| 5 | 2018 | Las Vegas (Sept.) | 1.3 | NBCSN | 5 | 2017 | Dover (Oct.) | 2.046M | NBCSN |
| 2018 | Kentucky | 1.3 | NBCSN | 6 | 2017 | Richmond (Sept.) | 2.135M | NBCSN | |
| 2017 | Dover (Oct.) | 1.3 | NBCSN | 7 | 2018 | Las Vegas (Sept.) | 2.138M | NBCSN | |
| 2017 | NH (Sept.) | 1.3 | NBCSN | 8 | 2018 | Kentucky | 2.264M | NBCSN | |
| 9 | 2018 | Bristol (Aug.) | 1.4 | NBCSN | 9 | 2017 | Chicagoland | 2.311M | NBCSN |
| 2018 | Sonoma | 1.4 | FS1 | 10 | 2018 | Bristol (Aug.) | 2.326M | NBCSN | |
| 2017 | Chicagoland | 1.4 | NBCSN | ||||||
[Numbers from Nielsen via ShowBuzz Daily 10.9]
