Talladega TV Ratings lowest since 1997 (2nd Update)
The 4.4 rating is the lowest for the spring Talladega race since it returned to broadcast television in 1998, tying rainout coverage in 2006. The previous low was set last year. Prior to last year, the spring race had never dipped below 5.0. Excluding the two rainouts, all eight NASCAR Sprint Cup telecasts this season have had declines in ratings compared to last year, and seven of the eight have had declines in viewership. Despite the lower numbers, the race was the #2 sporting event of the weekend on any network, trailing only the Kentucky Derby (9.4, 15.3M).
As AR1.com has published, the racing and automotive industry is not connecting with the younger generation. Many in this generation could care less about cars. Racing is not a sport in high school and college and until the entire industry gets together and convinces the NCAA to make go-kart racing a recognized sport in high schools and colleges like all the other stick and ball sports, racing will continue to have an aging population and a decline into oblivion.
05/06/14 A weak season for NASCAR on FOX continued with the lowest overnight from Talladega in at least sixteen years. Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Aaron's 499 from Talladega earned a 4.0 overnight rating on FOX, down 9% from last year (4.4), down 15% from 2012 (4.7), and the lowest overnight for the spring Talladega race since at least 1998. The previous low was set last year. The multi-year low comes on the heels of the two lowest overnights in NASCAR on FOX history – Darlington's 3.2 and Richmond's 3.0.
So far this season, FOX has earned its lowest overnights ever at Daytona, Phoenix, Martinsville, Las Vegas, Darlington, Richmond and Talladega, and its second-lowest overnight at Fontana. Despite the lower numbers, Sunday's race earned the fourth-highest overnight of the weekend for a sporting event on broadcast or cable, trailing only three NBA Game 7s – Grizzlies/Thunder on TNT (4.1), Warriors/Clippers on TNT (4.3), and Mavericks/Spurs on ABC (4.9). Because final ratings for NASCAR tend to rise from the overnights, it is entirely possible that the race will end up having been the top sporting event of the week when the final numbers are released.
05/05/14 Keeping the trend going for 2014, the Aaron's 499 Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway had a overnight rating of 4.0, which is down on the 2013 overnight rating of 4.4. No 2014 viewership numbers were posted. 2013's final TV Rating was a 4.6 with 7.345 million viewers and in 2012 the rating was 5.1 with 8.348 million viewers.