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ESPN’s Nationwide Ratings With Danica: Win, Lose, Tie

by Jeff Gluck

Danica Patrick’s first stint in NASCAR is complete, with the GoDaddy Girl taking a hiatus from stock-car racing until June.

↵Did her arrival bring more interest to the sport? If the TV ratings are any indication, the mainstream sports fans were curious at first but their interest fizzled.

↵Danica brought ESPN record ratings for her Nationwide Series debut at Daytona, but the ratings dropped at Fontana compared to the previous year.

↵This afternoon, ESPN said its ratings for the most recent race at Las Vegas were flat. Saturday’s race earned a 2.1 rating, which is the same number it pulled in both 2008 and 2009.

↵Still, ESPN’s Nationwide Series ratings are up 13 percent compared to last year (obviously on the strength of its record Daytona telecast).

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