TNT hit a season-high for Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Coke Zero 400 from Daytona, but the race was still down from last year.
The Coke Zero 400 earned a 3.4 U.S. rating and 6.029 million viewers on TNT Saturday night, down 6% in ratings and 2% in viewership from last year (3.6, 6.127M), but up 10% and 14%, respectively, from 2009 (3.1, 5.277M).
Keep in mind last year’s race started later in the evening due to a rain delay.
This marks the second-lowest rated edition of the summer Daytona race since at least 1997 (ratings prior to 1998 were not available), and the second-least viewed since at least 2000 (viewership prior to 2001 was not available).
That said, the race drew the largest NASCAR audience of the season on TNT, and was the top program of the week on cable.
Through four races, TNT is averaging a 3.2 U.S. rating and 5.312 million viewers for NASCAR coverage. The network averaged a 3.0 and 4.990 million for its full six-race slate last year.
(This year’s numbers from Media Life Magazine, TV By the Numbers, Turner Sports)
