Full Throttle

Via MediaWeek

Season-to-date, Nascar regular telecasts on Fox, excluding the Daytona 500, are averaging a 6.1 rating and 14 share, up 5 percent over the same period last year, which was a 5.8/14.

The telecasts are also averaging 10 million viewers, up 6 percent from the 9.4 million they averaged last season. Fox is crowing that the Nascar telecasts is currently the highest-rated sport currently being televised, including the NBA postseason games.

The past Sunday’s telecast of the Coca-Cola 600, which aired in prime time, produced a 6.1/13 national rating, up 22 percent over the same race telecast last season. The race also posted double-digit ratings increases among men 18-34 (up 10 percent to a 3.3), men 18-49 (up 11 percent to a 4.9) and among men 25-54 (up 12 percent to a 5.8.) The race earned an overall 4.2 among all adults 18-49, beating out NBC (2.3), ABC (2.2) and CBS (1.9) for the night (7-11 p.m.).

Inquiring minds want to know, is it because NASCAR has become a large scale demolition derby? It would be interesting to ask those that are viewing the telecasts for the first time this year why the interest now. What made them sit before the screen for 5 1/2 hours Sunday night? And to breakdown the demographics, what part of the Fox broadcast had the highest ratings, start, middle, or the finish.

On a related note, the Indy 500 broadcast by ABC beat the 600 ratings with a 6.6 overnight rating and a 17 share, up 40% from last year and the highest since 1997.

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