Sonoma IndyCar TV rating up 27%

The Aug. 25th GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma was the most-watched IZOD IndyCar Series race on NBC Sports Network this season. Viewership was up 27 percent over the August 2012 race. The 2012 IndyCar race at Sonoma drew 308,000 viewers for a 0.2 U.S. household rating, so the 27 percent increase means 391,000 viewers were tuned in this year and the rating would be 0.254. Now they're cooking…..not.

The entertaining 85-lap race laced with an event-record seven lead changes and seven caution periods, plus a penalty incurred by race leader and championship contender Scott Dixon, was won by Will Power in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car for the third time in the past four years. It was the first victory of the season for Power, who has been the series' championship runner-up the past three seasons. He's the 10th different driver to win through 15 of 19 races.

NBCSN has coverage of the Grand Prix of Baltimore presented by SRT this weekend, with the three rounds of qualifications for the Verizon P1 Award broadcast at 6 p.m. (ET) Aug. 31 (taped) and live coverage of the third IZOD IndyCar Series race on the 2.04-mile, 12-turn street circuit at 2 p.m. (ET) Sept. 1.

The Firestone Indy Lights' Grand Prix of Baltimore broadcast follows at 5 p.m. (ET).