NASCAR Bristol TV rating

UPDATE Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Food City 500 from Bristol Motor Speedway earned a 4.6 final rating and 7.5 million viewers, up 5% in ratings and 3% in viewership from last year (4.4, 7.3M), and up 7% and 4%, respectively, from 2011 (4.3, 7.2M). This marks the highest rated and most-viewed edition of the spring Bristol race since 2008 (5.5, 8.9M). Sunday's race was also the first since 2008 to avoid competition with the NCAA Tournament. Though up from last year, the 4.6 rating ranks as the fifth-lowest for the race since 2000 (13 telecasts). The race earned at least a 5.0 rating each year from 2001 to 2008, peaking with a 6.3 in 2005. The Bristol race also ranks as the first Sprint Cup telecast since the Daytona 500 to have an increase in ratings. The March 3 Phoenix race was flat in ratings, and the March 10 Las Vegas race had a double-digit decline.

03/18/13 The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on FOX averaged a 4.3/10 among the metered markets Sunday [March 17, 2013] afternoon for the Food City 500 from Bristol, TN. That's up +8% over last year's 4.0/10 for the same race and marks the third out of fourth time that a NASCAR race on FOX posted a year-to-year increase. While yesterday's race was edged out by the NCAA Selection show on CBS (4.4/10) among the metered markets, projections are that the NASCAR Race on FOX will once again be the highest-rated and most-watched event of the weekend when final national ratings are released Thursday. Through four races, NASCAR Sprint Cup Racing on FOX is averaging a 6.0/13 among the metered markets, up +13% over last year's 5.3/11