Versus driving IRL into obscurity

Saturday’s Indy Racing League race—the SunTrust Indy Challenge—posted the second worst national TV rating for an IRL race this year. Only the April 26 race at Kansas scored a lower rating. The national rating for the Richmond race—which began at 8 p.m. on Versus—was 0.22, according to Nielsen Media Research, meaning that 248,000 U.S. households tuned in.

Even more surprising was the Indianapolis market rating, usually one of the IRL’s strongest. In central Indiana, the Richmond race posted a 0.67 rating, equating to 7,000 households.

It does not make us happy to say this by any means – but as we told you when the Versus deal was announced, the IRL was being pennywise and pound foolish. Sure Versus pays them money, but what good does it do you if your sponsors get near-zero exposure and then do not renew?