NASCAR Atlanta TV Rating

The crowd was decent at Atlanta but many left after halfway

NASCAR Cup Series racing from Atlanta scored a 3.6 overnight rating on FOX Sunday afternoon, down a tick from last year (3.7), down 29% from 2015 (5.1), and the lowest for the second race of the season since at least 2000. The previous low was set last year.

The second race of the season – previously Phoenix, Fontana and Rockingham – has traditionally been NASCAR's biggest TV draw outside of Daytona. It routinely topped a 6.0 overnight during NASCAR's 2000s heyday and as recently as nine years ago had a 6.1 for rain-delayed coverage opposite the Academy Awards.

Keep in mind that with the slight decline in overnights, final ratings could still increase over last year's 4.1.

Despite the lower numbers, NASCAR was the top sporting event of a weekend that also included the Duke-North Carolina college basketball game (2.6). Sports Media Watch

Fox yesterday drew a 3.6 overnight for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race from Atlanta, down slightly from a 3.7 for the same race last year. However, the second race of the Cup Series season was down from a 5.1 in '15 from Atlanta and down from a 4.8 in '14 from Phoenix Sports Business Daily