NASCAR Homestead TV Rating (Update)

UPDATE ESPN's live telecast of the Ford Ecoboost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, Nov. 16, the final race in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, had a rise in viewership for the second straight year, leading to an increase in overall viewership during the 10 races of the Chase.

The Miami event averaged 5,223,000 viewers, up from 5,119,000 for last year's race and 4,769,000 for the race in 2012, according to Nielsen Media. The race telecast earned a 3.1 final U.S. household rating, the same as last year, but up from a 3.0 rating in 2012.

The 10 races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup averaged 4,408,000 viewers, up from 4,283,000 for last year's Chase. The 10 races averaged a 2.7 U.S. rating in both years.

For the Miami race, Greensboro, N.C., led the nation's 56 metered markets with a 9.9 rating, followed by Greenville, S.C., at 9.0 and Indianapolis at 8.9. Raleigh-Durham, N.C., (7.6) and Charlotte, N.C., (7.2) were fourth and fifth.

Rounding out the top 10 were Richmond, Va., 6.7; Knoxville, Tenn., 6.6; Norfolk, Va., 5.9; and a tie at 5.5 among Jacksonville, Fla., Dayton, Ohio, Birmingham, Ala., and Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.

11/17/14 ESPN yesterday drew a 2.9 overnight rating for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 from Miami-Homestead Speedway, which saw driver Kevin Harvick win his first NSCS title. This season was the first under a revamped Chase format that saw four drivers — Harvick, Joey Logano, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman — enter Sunday with a chance at the title.

The rating from yesterday's race is up 7% from a 2.7 overnight last year, when Jimmie Johnson won his sixth title. The ’12 finale, which saw Brad Keselowski win the title, also drew a 2.7. ESPN’s telecast yesterday was down 26% from a 3.7 overnight for Tony Stewart’s win in ’11