TV Ratings for Bud Shootout & Qualifying

The 2011 NASCAR on FOX season got underway this weekend with the Bud Shootout and Daytona Qualifying. The Bud Shootout posted a decline in the overnights (-7%, 3.9/7 vs. 4.2/7) but fast national ratings have already been issued and in those figures the Shootout posted a slight increase over last year. The Bud Shootout earned a 4.5/8 (7.8 million viewers) nationally on Saturday night. That's +2% better than last year's 4.4/8. The Bud Shootout gave FOX an easy win for the night among broadcast networks. FOX's race averaged a 2.4 among Adults 18-49, more than doubling the 0.9 earned by both ABC and CBS. Although the household rating was up, average viewership was down -4% (7.8 mill. vs. 8.2). and ratings were down slightly across the most important demographics, including dips of -7% among Men 18-34 (1.4 vs. 1.5) and -9% among Men 18-49 (2.9 vs. 3.2).

Daytona 500 Qualifying averaged a 1.9/5 on FOX yesterday afternoon, a +19% gain over last year's 1.6/4. In what may be an indication of the season to come, both the Bud Shootout national rating and the Daytona Qualifying overnight were better than last year, but not quite as good as 2009.