NASCAR Talladega TV Ratings (Update)

UPDATE Though down only slightly from last year, Sunday’s NASCAR race from Talladega was the least-viewed in more than a decade.

Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Camping World RV Sales 500 from Talladega (AL) earned a 3.1 U.S. rating and 4.9 million viewers on ESPN, down 3% in ratings and 4% in viewership from last year (3.2, 5.1M), and down 6% and 9%, respectively, from 2011 (3.3, 5.4M).

This marks the least-viewed edition of the fall Talladega race since at least 2001 (viewership prior to 2002 was not available). No other race over that span had dipped below five million viewers.

In addition, the 3.1 rating is tied as the lowest for the race since at least 2000 (ratings prior to 2001 were not available).

In four years on ESPN, the fall Talladega race has drawn ratings of 3.1 (twice), 3.2 and 3.3. By comparison, the race drew between a 4.2 and 4.6 in three previous years on ABC, and between a 4.6 and 5.5 in six years on NBC.

Despite the lower numbers, Sunday’s race ranks as the #2 Chase For the Cup telecast of the season — trailing only the previous week’s race at Charlotte on ABC (3.4, 5.6M).

10/22/13 ESPN’s live telecast of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, Oct. 20, earned a 3.1 U.S. household rating, averaging 4,916,193 viewers, according to Nielsen Media. The rating was the second-highest in six races held so far in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Last year’s race at Talladega earned a 3.2 U.S. rating with an average of 5,113,374 viewers.

With a 10.2 rating, Greensboro, N.C., led all metered markets across the country for the race telecast, followed by Greenville, S.C., with 9.5 and Birmingham, Ala., with 8.2. Knoxville, Tenn., was fourth with 7.0 while tied for fifth were Indianapolis and Norfolk, Va., at 6.8.

Rounding out the top 10 markets were Charlotte, N.C., 6.4; Orlando, Fla., 5.8; Jacksonville, Fla., 5.6 and Nashville, Tenn., 5.3