NASCAR Texas TV Rating

NASCAR Cup Series racing from Texas earned a 2.5 overnight rating on FOX Sunday afternoon, the same as last year and down 14% from 2015 (2.9), which took place on Saturday nights. The 2.5 is tied with last year as the lowest ever for a Cup Series race on the FOX broadcast network, excluding rainouts (dates back to 2001).

The last three Texas races rank as the three lowest rated Cup Series races ever on FOX. This year’s race faced The Masters; last year’s race was delayed due to rain and finished well after Midnight ET.

NASCAR ratings are typically much stronger on Sunday afternoons than on Saturday nights, making the decision to move Texas from Saturday to Sunday a good move on paper. However, the scheduling change put the race directly opposite final round coverage of The Masters — which despite a 12-year low still dominated with a 7.6.

The last time NASCAR went head-to-head with the final round of The Masters, 2006, the same Texas race pulled a 4.8 overnight.

Despite the low numbers, NASCAR and FOX can take consolation that overnights at least held steady. The network’s four previous races (not counting Las Vegas, for which overnights were not available) each declined from last year. Sports Media Watch