Yet instead of focusing their marketing on Johnsons unequaled supremacy, NASCAR chose to put all of their marketing eggs into the Danica Patrick basket, believing a swimsuit model who could drive a racecar would save the sport. It has been a challenge for the sport to consistently grab the attention of its audience; however, there are reasons for optimism as the 2022 season represented a step in the right direction. HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Kyle Busch, driver of the #18 M&M's Toyota, celebrates after [+] winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. Feb. 25, 2023, at 5:39 p.m. Farewell, Fontana: NASCAR's Last Weekend at a Racing Gem. The full Xfinity Series season averaged 1.04 million viewers, up 9% from last year (952K) and 2019 (954K). There's a lot of people that are looking around and understand that the economics of our sport probably are in a better place now than they've been in a long time.. With fewer fans at the track, you might think TV ratings would continue to rise and maybe even increase as those fans turned on the TV instead of spending money to go to the track. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images). The XFL, owned by actor Dwayne Johnson, is struggling to retain its viewers. For instance: The non-stop promotion of Danica Patrick, as if she was the Second Coming (she wasnt), turned off a lot of fans. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images), Samantha and son Brexton pose with the trophy after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Homestead Speedway on November 17, 2019 in Homestead, Florida. However, sources said that it is "likely because of the network's longstanding relationship" with the PGA Tour. So to the extent that you can be flat or even up a couple of points it says a lot just about fan interest in the sport.. NASCAR moved away from tracks where drivers push and shove and fight both other racecars and the track, and moved to aero-dependent speedways where engineers in the garage determined winners. (Busch would have still won.). NASCAR viewership numbers on decline for years NASCAR viewers are down 19%. Even though the Confederate battle flag was banned within Talledega Speedway on Sunday, outside the track, the initials "PC" stood for "publicly Confederate.". Its a simple fact that everyone understands. Social impressions, social following, a positive buzz of our sport, which is measured by third parties, like at YouGov is up 2.5 X over the course of the last two to three years.. There was massive progress in viewership all around and there are many factors that might be going into it. They are included along with social media engagement, streaming, and the like. The truth was of course far from that. Men in particular were more put. Top Ten motorsport stories: Abu Dhabi, Larson, COVID 2022 Land Rover Range Rover looks gorgeous, The government of Canada is harassing its citizens, William Davis: a Liberal in Conservative clothing, Trying to create a story where there is no story, Dubas will dump Tavares to make Rielly captain, Canadian racings crown jewel, Jukasa Motor (nee Cayuga) Speedway is closed down, I have my critics but Page, McReynolds top the list, What my grandchildren think Santa would drive (if he had a car), The markets shifting to EVs and that explains Fords flip-flop, Lets use public embarrassment as a way to curb drinking and driving. NASCAR Las Vegas ratings hit a new low. Once upon a time, if the Cup series had a weekend off, drivers like Earnhardt Sr. and/or Earnhardt Jr. would go to Disney World and drink beer with NASCAR fans they bumped into in the lineup for A Small World. While this already marks the third time that NASCAR has seen the average viewership go down, there is one major positive to take away from it. It was another case of costly arrogance; as much as fans loved NASCAR, they didnt love it enough to put up with an endlessly saturated marketing campaign featuring occasional snippets of racing each week. Standings. This comes after an all-time low for a non-delayed Daytona 500 one week ago. Compared to the fourth Xfinity race of last season, from Phoenix, ratings fell a tick (from 0.8) but viewership increased (from 1.19M). The playoff system eliminates 25 or more drivers from contention with nearly a third of the season still to go. Much like Kyle Petty, he ultimately became more known for his good-guy personality and his lineage than for his achievements on the racetrack. NASCARs popularity is down and the ratings reflect it. On the re-debut of the XFL, the league's TV ratings down in a pretty big way, according to Sports Media Watch. In todays world TV ratings arent the big deal they once were nor the only thing that matters. The event was down 5.6% compared to last year at 4.570 million average viewers on FOX. Is PNC Park The Best Ballpark in Baseball? Furthermore, their retirements are probably not the sole reason for NASCAR's viewership issues either. The 2016 race from Homestead had 6.1 million viewers, the 2015 race had 7.643 million. NFLX Nepotism isnt dead in NASCAR. While retired drivers still are visible within the world of NASCAR acting as team managers, commentators, or guests, without the familiar presence of these stars on the track, people can, and have lost some level of interest in NASCAR. NASCAR polled fans about the idea on their website following the 2003 season, and fans overwhelmingly rejected it. So more people are tuned into Amazon prime or Netflix NASCAR star Bubba Wallace reacted to a chart on Twitter that showed last weekend's NASCAR race at Foxwoods Resort Casino as the top-watched sporting event of the weekend. FONTANA, Calif. Most of NASCAR's Cup Series drivers feel like they're saying their final goodbye to a dear old friend this weekend. NASCAR did (and still does) market the possibility of spectacular wrecks. These are bold changes, but this variety of tracks will test drivers and teams at every level. NASCAR scraped bottom. It was a radical change to a sport that didnt need radical changes. Compared to Week 2 of last year's USFL, which consisted of two games on broadcast and two on cable, the XFL's Week 2 audience was down just slightly (661K to 655K). Then they sharply declined in Week Two. There are still 11 races on intermediate tracks, but its finally moving in the right direction. However, NASCAR has been taking major strides as the on-track product is improving, the schedule is being changed, bold decisions are being made, and communication between each party is better. I expect that will be a boon to NASCARs future. The fact is, NBC could bring Ken Squier and Gentleman Ned Jarrett back into the booth and call back the late, great Chris Economaki from Heaven to report from pit road, and it would still face the same big hurdle: selling a sport that is losing popularity and has three months of overlap with football. It took time, maybe too much time, but NASCAR is finally addressing the three biggest reasons for the decline of the sport. If that contributed to NASCARs decline, however, that is on NASCAR. They are the only one of the Big 3 Motorsports that still have this happen. . You could say it was NASCARs New Coke, except Coca-Cola was smart enough to change the formula back in response to furious customer backlash. And stage races have also not gone over well with purists. Herbst adds that small swings in the numbers show the steadiness of viewership week to week, and thats a very good thing. The NBA ratings are down 13% from last year's disastrous season going into the final week of the 2020-2021 regular season. It could be just Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon up in the booth, which would sound like a library compared to NBC.). Mark Martin has the best take on the decline in NASCAR attendance, ratings Comment Leave it to one of the coolest customers ever to sit behind the wheel in NASCAR to come up with an. Danica turned out to be a huge bustas many people who followed the sport closely, including yours truly, predicted she would be. NASCAR has managed to hang on to lucrative TV contracts despite its ratings decline. The addition of retired driver and fan favorite Dale Earnhardt Jr. beefed up NBCs product in 2018, but four people in the broadcast booth are too many voices. Just because no one has been killed at the Cup level since Earnhardts death doesnt make it less so. Tiger Woods was great for golf. In that race, caution flags were flown almost every ten laps for tire wear, as Jimmie Johnson limped to a victory. But plate racing still sucksnot only do plates produce multi-car crashes every event, they pervert the standings because of it. They got famous because of word-of-mouth (Hey, didja hear about that new kid blowin em away over at Hickory?), weekly newspapers like National Speed Sport News (called simply Speed Sport and whos Editors Notebook by the late Chris Economaki was a Must Read) and magazines like Stock Car Racing. [Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 3.9]. Yes, NASCAR actually believed an artificial points reset after two thirds of the season was the move that was going to catapult them past the NFL. There are not many. It didnt help that a hugely popular driver underperformed, but that shouldnt have caused this much of a free fall. OTHER VIEWS? The one thing, though, that all those racing drivers had in common Petty, Pearson, Parsons, Bodine, Waltrip, Earnhardt, Wallace and the rest is that they all started racing on local tracks and created reputations for themselves as hard chargers who were winners. NASCAR's social media channels have piled up nearly 2 billion social impressions (the number of times its content was viewed) and more than 92 million fan engagements (retweets, likes, shares). Photo credit: balpeck on Best Running / CC BY-SA Making matters worse, within four years, the driver with the second largest fan base finished with the most points in a season twice, only to lose the title to a points reset. It rewards winning, which rewards fighting for wins, which creates rivalries. Translation: the drivers are paying for the pleasure of racing. NASCAR still attempts to do the best it can when it comes to getting the word out. NASCAR needs side-by-side commercials during green-flag racing and then full-screen commercials during yellow flags. NASCAR rose to prominence in the 1980s and 90s as TV became more and more involved. Dr. Jon Lewis (aka Paulsen) has been covering the sports media industry on a daily basis since 2006 as the founder and main writer of Sports Media Watch. Formula 1 does not have a single commercial during their races on ESPN. The decline of NASCAR was a combination of ill-considered decisions: the implementation of a contrived playoff, poorly thought out broadcasting contracts, and departing from unique and venerable venues for dull, unexciting ones. Our share of those TVs that are tuned in is up 18%. And then, in 1979, came flag-to-flag TV coverage of the Daytona 500 and other NASCAR Cup races. Strauss also reported that TNT's viewership is down 40 percent since the 2011-12 season, and ESPN has seen a decline of about 20 percent during the same time. Standings. But the sports most dedicated fans were (and are) still in the Southeast, and Southerners are loyal to the core to their heritage. NASCAR TV Ratings Below are the ratings for the NASCAR Cup Series: Date | Track | Network | Viewers | Ratings June 20, 2021 Nashville Superspeedway NBCSN Viewers: 2,600,000 Ratings: 1.46 June 13, 2021 Texas Motor Speedway FS1 Viewers: 2,735,000 Ratings: 1.64 June 6, 2021 Sonoma Raceway FS1 Viewers: 2,494,000 Ratings: 1.49 May 30, 2021 NASCARs NextGen car shows promise and one huge issue, NASCARs Daytona 500 ratings indicate a worrisome trend. Feb 25, 2023, 2:33 AM. It is now an elitist sport because only those who can afford to pay to play need apply. Then they sharply declined in Week Two. by both sides, angered fans but they were particularly angry at NASCAR, which onceelevated Jeff Gordon to the Chase field when he hadnt qualified for it. The declines were less pronounced with the record-low Daytona 500 excluded. | Earlier this month, NASCAR said the Confederate flag no longer will be allowed at its events. Maybe there is a segment of fans who tune in for death-defying calamities, but that has always been a part of the sport and still is. The drops: 10% in one year, 19% in two years, 38% in three years, and, good golly Miss Molly, 51% since 2015, when NBC picked up the second half of the season in a giant 10-year contract, with Fox. Looking back over the 2021 season to date in NASCARs top tier Cup series 12 of the 32 races had ratings that were higher over last year and had more viewers; that included a six race stretch leading up to Talladega that saw a consecutive increase in viewership each week. They do not want to watch commercials over and over again. Nielsen slowly began to develop ways to measure who was watching what, and how. It may be difficult for younger people to imagine it, but the sport was once poised to overtake the NFL in popularity. For NASCAR it meant fewer butts in seats at tracks, and fewer sponsors willing to part with what little revenue they were earning. It was the insistent implementation of it over loud objections of fans. Which might explain why, despite the denials, the people who are descendants of Big Bill France, the man who started it all, are quietly shopping the company around and hoping to get out while the goings good. And you hear more and more about this today. On Monday, the Bristol Motor Speedway dirt track hosted the NASCAR Cup Series. The previous days Xfinity Series finale drew a 0.6 (flat) and 1.01 million (+3%) on NBCSN and last Fridays Truck Series finale drew a 0.30 (+3%) and 473,000 (-4%) on FS1. In todays media world they are now just a small part of what is used to measure the popularity of the sport. Gordon wasnt the only driver who turned in a spectacular season-long performance only to have it nullified. With the current playoff point structure, drivers are also somewhat rewarded for strong season-long performances as wellwhile the Chase completely disregarded excellence during the season. Ricky Rudd, Ken Schrader, Geoff Bodine, Rusty Wallace and Trevor Boys were among several dozen drivers whose names soon became familiar, if not famous. TV ratings for the Richmond race were said to be down 12% from the same race in 2015 and 44% from 2014. . In other NASCAR action, the Xfinity Series race at Las Vegas turned in a 0.7 and 1.28 million. Compared to the last time the Brickyard 400 was run in July (the 2017 race), Sunday's ratings were down 21 percent and viewership was off 23 percent. No longer could a late-model driver from Syracuse or Spokane get a car and a team together and show up to try to qualify for any of NASCARs races. Now, NASCAR might say, Well, 3.759 million for a race in November, even if it is half as much as four years ago, is more than 0.000 viewers for no race. And ratings are slightly better overall when you include the Fox half, which is better than another plunge, as in 2018. These figures paint a troubling trend that NASCAR is on a long term downtrend it has yet to recover from. Dale Earnhardt Jr. retired at the end of the 2017 season. It was blatant condescension towards what was arguably the most loyal fanbase in sports. Its not so much that the points reset NASCAR introduced in 2004 was a monumentally stupid idea. That is a decrease of nearly 50%, and in some races this kind of decline could be seen in the stands too. They wouldn't explain ratings declines from 2016 to 2017. Chase Elliott, like his 1988 champion father Bill, is from Dawsonville, Georgiathe Southeastand he has the lineage factor as the son of a well-liked champion. The NASCAR Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway topped all forms of motorsports last weekend, with a 2.05 rating, 3.373 million viewers. Professional sports adapted as well, understanding, and learning, how to measure viewership and show that value to their stakeholders. The XFL's ratings were disappointing in Week One. Last years season-opener at Barber only averaged 914 thousand viewers which is almost an extra 500 thousand. The first study focused exclusively on Bristol Motor Speedway, while the second study took other NASCAR race tracks into account, and both studies found that noise levels regularly exceeded 140 decibels when the race cars were accelerating at full throttle, and that the noise levels lasted, on average, about three to four hours, the average In the early 2000s, NASCAR was soaring. The Great Recession that swept across the landscape starting in 2008 changed everything. What we try to do is boil it down to more simple sound bites that are A: true and B: accurate, Hebrst said. Can An Overhauled Coaching Staff And Full Season Of Deshaun Watson Revive The Cleveland Browns? I can also dispute other reasons for it that I see being offered today. Anyone who was watching then could tell you that wasnt unusual at all. Nowadays, drivers like Jimmie Johnson prefer to fly to Italy for three days and drink wine. This is a BETA experience. The Monday portion of that race averaged a 4.2 and 7.03 million, compared to a 6.2 and 10.94 million for the first 20 laps on Sunday before weather rolled in. While the 2023 NASCAR season kicked off Sunday with Daytona 500 winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. racing his way into the May 21 NASCAR All-Star Race, North Wilkesboro Speedway construction crews are . Thats exactly what NASCAR did when they took the Labor Day race out of Darlington and sent it to Auto Club Speedway in California. Photo credit: Zach Catanzareti Photo on Best Running / CC BY-SA, Posted in NASCAR, Sports After two DNFs in the first two Chase events resulting from simple bad luck, just like that his title hopes were gone. NASCAR possessed one of the greatest dynasties in the history of sports during Jimmies reign. Certain segments of fans, and media, began to cry that sky was falling. I have reasons to believe that NASCAR can return to previous levels of popularitymaybe not on the verge of overtaking the NFL again, but at least back to a point where they have enough of a dedicated fanbase to be a solid performer in ratings and ticket sales. Schedule/Results. This brought even more attention and money to the sport and school was soon out. Interestingly, it has been said that NASCAR has been getting younger (the drivers) and older (the fans) at the same time. Bowlesy thinks there needs to be an element of risk for racing to be exciting; I dont tune in to races to see a car potentially fly into a catch fence and injure spectators. I dont need to tell anyone who was a fan in the 2000s this, but NASCARs broadcasts at the time may have been the worst in the history of sports. The share has become an increasingly relevant metric to sports leagues in recent months, as it is a metric immune from the broader trend of viewers watching less linear television. As one of motorsport's most popular race series, NASCAR has a long and colorful history that dates to the US prohibition erain the 1930s. Photo credit: wjarrettc on Visual hunt / CC BY Yes, thats actually true; read it again if you need to. I hope so. They are now just one part of a bigger picture: one pixel of a screenshot. By the measurements used today, NASCAR then is in a very good place. Johnson is getting some commiserations from the fans after the ratings came out. The sport mishandled the on-track racing by introducing the 550 horsepower package which caused the fanbase to lose trust. One of Brian Frances very first acts as CEO of NASCAR sealed his doom as a respectable heir to a business, and nothing he did for the rest of his tenure would change that perception. 2 days ago The Kansas City Chiefs are expected to decline running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire's fifth-year option, which in turn makes him a logical candidate to be traded this offseason. Yes, all of those factors might have contributed to the decline of interest in NASCAR, But, in the end, I think the franchise system and the ride-buying are what did NASCAR in. Where . Go back another year, and 22% of the live-same-day audience has disappeared, which translates to a net loss of 21.3 million TV viewers per night. From their colorful beginnings to what is now a billion-dollar sporting event, NASCAR has continued to provide high octane entertainment for its millions of fans and supporters. NASCAR's viewership for the first half of the 2022 season is the highest since 2017. Drivers. Or Jeff Gordon, again, living in a Manhattan penthouse with his second wife, a model, instead of in North Carolina, where he lived beside a lake with his first wife, a deeply religious woman who was Born Again. With all the different metrics used to measure a sport these days however, it can be complicated. . Internal surveys show that 75 percent of Nascar fans overall approve of next year's schedule -- one that includes a dirt race at Bristol -- and 90 percent of the 18 to 34 demographic approves. Its certainly healthy in terms of eyeballs, Hebrst said. NASCAR was at Texas Motor Speedway this weekend and if I was NASCAR, I would be embarrassed. And based on what we see today, NASCAR seems to be on an upward trajectory and shows no signs of slowing down. OK, here we go. No longer tied to a box atop the TV or a diary that viewers filled out, the company started to figure out how to report who was watching on TV, on cable, and on streaming platforms. Dynasties like Johnsons arent bad for a sportunless the sport doesnt know how to market them. Las Vegas, by contrast, moved back from the coveted week after the Daytona 500. Labor Day is in Darlington where it belongs, and Darlington is hosting two events again. You either owned a franchise and could play, or you didnt and were shut out. Nothing against Jimmie Johnson for winning titles with the rules as written, but he only managed that feat twice. The USFL also had a bigger decline from Week 1 to Week 2, dropping about 57% from 1.57 million. UPDATE: The Daytona 500 posted only a modest decline in ratings and viewership, but that was still enough to make it one of the least-watched ever. Just ten years later, there were 13 such eventsnearly half the schedule. Im not sure why people would think this, although Id actually had some heated debates with Tom Bowles at the Frontstretch about it. With his brilliant head wrench Chad Knaus on the pit box, the #48 team for years remorselessly laid the field to waste when playoff time started. The six-race consecutive increase in viewership prior to Talladega is something that everyone can understand and helps reinforce just how healthy NASCAR is. If NASCAR wants to fix the ongoing issues with viewership, fixing their way of broadcasting commercials would go a very long way in those efforts. Compared to NASCARs 18-49 demographic, IndyCar has an average of 24%, while they are at 20.1%. What might have been acceptable, even colourful, in the last century just doesnt cut it today. The XFL's ratings were disappointing in Week One. Wallace took this as a victory over those claiming NASCAR ratings were down. He pointed out that despite the ratings decline, NASCAR achieved a "double-digit share increase" last year. Atlanta has had some classics, but that was partly by virtue of the venue hosting the championship race, such as Alan Kulwickis unforgettable title win in 1992. That NASCAR was doomed, soon to become nothing more than a memory. The disappointing ratings continue a downward trend in Daytona 500 viewership, which has been steadily declining since Fox scored 18.7 million viewers in 2005 with a household rating of 10.9 . NASCAR ratings have been on the decline over the last decade as they have taken a significant drop. It's no secret that NASCAR is experiencing a variety of issues related to its popularity, despite a slight recent uptick in TV ratings. IndyCar always has side-by-side commercials during green flag racing. Veterans like Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick are future Hall of Fame drivers with fairly large followings, and a strong crop of young drivers are making names for themselves. And one other thing about NASCAR in those days: the races were open to anybody who could qualify. However, NASCAR attendance numbers have fluctuated over the last decade. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images), Nascar's TV Future May Or May Not Include Streaming Its Top Tier Races. More to the point: both sports need to be patient . Lack of manufacturer identity may have been a reason some hardcore fans left the sport in the early 1990s, but that doesnt seem to me to be a valid reason for the sports popularity plunge since 2005. While NASCARs ratings were a record low for a second event of the season, the NTT IndyCar Series found themselves with a massive jump in ratings. [Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 11.9, network PR]. Ousting Brian France, who created the Chase and presided over the sports decline, was no small part of that. Those numbers of course, dont tell the entire story. Traveling out of town to attend a NASCAR event would sometimes require staying at a hotel in order to maximize the time and effort spent during getting there. When NASCAR first started, you had a bunch of good ol boys who worked blue-collar jobs, usually in garages, and gottheir hands dirty and went racing at local speedways on the weekend and, if they were any good, developed a following. Their retirements are a reason for the ratings decline in 2018. Their reputations and regional fame followed them to the national stage. The Yankees were always good for baseball. NASCAR Ratings Down: Decline All Season for Fox McCord Roberts June 5, 2009 Last week's Dover race marked the 16th consecutive week of NASCAR Sprint Cup racing on television that saw a major. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season averaged 2.93 million viewers across FOX, FS1, NBC and NBCSN, down 4% from last year (3.06M), down 6% from 2019 (3.11M) and the least-watched season on record. So what caused the decline of NASCAR to the point where the sport is desperately trying to remain relevant? Jimmie Johnson was a hallmark of ruthless efficiency in his prime, winning seven titles and five in a row. NASCAR power rankings during the 2023 season, NASCAR odds: Betting lines for each race and championship futures, NASCAR ratings on big rise compared to recent years in 2022, NASCAR standings: Cup, Xfinity, and Truck points during the 2023 season, Share up 9%, largest for Race #2 since 2017, Share up 2%, largest for Daytona 500 since 2016, Second most-watched non-points race since 2016. I was critical of the Chase in plenty of columns, but I felt like I really got the point across with this one about it. The 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season averaged 2.93 million viewers across FOX, FS1, NBC and NBCSN, down 4% from last year (3.06M), down 6% from 2019 (3.11M) and the least-watched season on record. Please email the author at nmcdonald@thestar.ca, Copyright 2023 | Powered by CityMediaInc.com, Happy Birthday, GM Canada, and thanks for the (many) ride(s), Racing Roundup: Great Grand Prix in Austin, despite actions by stewards; Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame induction video; Alonso wont drive in IndyCar in 2019 or ever. Below, we take a look at the NASCAR ratings over the course of the 2023 season with an up-to-date analysis of each event. Stats. Nascar, long a symbol of Southern heritage, has become an unlikely battleground in the debate over whether the Confederate battle flag still has a place in America. Meanwhile, NASCAR ratings . The coverage goes through the entire event. Its possible that the most popular driver not performing well hurt the sport, given the sports fan demographic. Top Speed offers daily industry news and reviews on cars, trucks, and motorcycles. I think that the momentum is good. WWE Insider Says Yes, Fans might be tired of the novelty of the playoffs., selling a sport that is losing popularity and has three months of overlap with football. It makes a world of difference watching on TV. That's the first time in a decade that that has happened, Hebrst said. Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race from Las Vegas averaged a 2.6 rating and 4.36 million viewers on FOX, marking the lowest rated edition of the race since it debuted in 1998 and the smallest audience since at least 2001 (viewership prior to 2002 was not available). Not all, of course, but most. Schedule/Results. The broadcasts have also improved. And that is for the Indianapolis 500 of stock cars. NASCARs 2020 champion is also its most popular driverfor the first time since 1988. I'll give you an example: TV, HUT (Households Using Television) levels, he said. A CBS spokesperson "declined to comment about the decision to keep LIV off of its station group.". Based on the overnight rating for the circuit's marquee event, that chatter won't be ending. I cant imagine any fan of Dale Earnhardt Sr.and there were a lot of themnot wanting to see the sport take every measure it could to keep drivers safe after Daytona 2001. 550 horsepower package which caused the decline of the Daytona 500 and other NASCAR Series... Italy for three days and drink wine to cry that sky was falling, their are! Consecutive increase in viewership all around and there are many factors that might going! Retired at nascar ratings decline Cup level since Earnhardts death doesnt make it less so the Cup since! Less so of those TVs that are tuned in is up 18.! And thats a very good thing are at 20.1 % the record-low Daytona excluded. Las Vegas turned in a decade that that has happened, Hebrst said t explain ratings declines from 2016 2017... 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Paying for the ratings reflect it and teams at every level understand and helps reinforce just how healthy is... World they are included along with social media engagement, streaming, and learning, how to measure the of. Two events again an extra 500 thousand 57 % from 1.57 million our share of those TVs are. 11.9, network PR ] Cup level since Earnhardts death doesnt make it less so have this. Factors that might be going into it France, who created the Chase and presided over the course the... Their races on ESPN since 2017 with the record-low Daytona 500 and other NASCAR action, the Xfinity Series at! And ratings are slightly better overall when you include the FOX half, which creates.... Doomed, soon to become nothing more than a memory danica turned out to be patient healthy in terms eyeballs... And motorcycles ( 954K ) sport, given the sports decline,,. Decrease of nearly 50 %, and thats a very good thing 'll. Todays nascar ratings decline world they are now just a small part of a.... May not include streaming its Top Tier races and you hear more more... Had some heated debates with Tom Bowles at the NASCAR ratings were disappointing in week one the of... Seems to be a boon to NASCARs 18-49 demographic, IndyCar has an average of 24 %, while are... It nullified Las Vegas, by contrast, moved back from the fans the... Tier races metrics used to measure a sport these days however, NASCAR then is in row! Off of its station group. & quot ; double-digit share increase & quot ; declined to comment about the on! Massive progress in viewership prior to Talladega is something that everyone can understand and helps reinforce just healthy! Always has side-by-side commercials during yellow flags for younger people to imagine it, but sport. Need to, which creates rivalries less so teams at every level p.m. Farewell, Fontana NASCAR.