After TV ratings featured stable numbers to begin May, ratings are back on the decline.
Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 scored a 3.2 Nielsen overnight rating. This is an 11 percent decline from the 3.6 rating the race scored one year ago.
According to Sports Media Watch, the rating ties the Bristol rating from April as the second-lowest ever for a Sunday race on FOX. The Richmond race set the record low at a 2.9 rating earlier this season.
The race ended up third highest on the list of sporting events for the weekend, trailing the NBA Playoff game on TNT and 100th Indianapolis 500 on ABC, though the event did score higher than the first Stanley Cup Final game on NBC.
FOX has three broadcasts remaining this season before NBC takes over at Daytona in July. The races at Pocono, Michigan, and Sonoma will all be broadcast on FOX Sports 1.
I suppose that in the networks are happy with the assistance in growing their fledgling sports networks the decline really doesn’t matter. This seems to be the only “sport” where its considered a big deal.
So, that 11% decline represents thousands of people who didn’t waste their time on the worst race on racing’s greatest day. A loss for NASCAR; a victory for those who opted out! NASCAR should consider moving the 600 to Saturday so the painful difference between the excitement of the Indy 500 is not displayed in such vivid contrast to the tedium of racing at Charlotte.
If nascar would go back to raceing stock cars not cars made to look alike. IE Ford Fushan is a front wheel drive car. Toyotas are front wheel dtive snd so on. GET IT RIGHT NASSCAR. A BIG JOKE (STOCK CAR)! Get back to basics.