With one race to go in FOX’s portion of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, the network is poised to end on a high note.
NASCAR On FOX TV Ratings Up Over 2010 Heading Into Network’s Last Racing Broadcast of 2011
FOX’s NASCAR ratings are up four percent over 2010, and overall viewership is up nine percent, according to FOX’s Lou D’Ermilio.
But perhaps more important for the sport’s future is this number: Among the most coveted demographic, men ages 18-34, the NASCAR ratings are up 27 percent over last season.
That’s crucial for a sport with an aging fan base – one that is among the oldest in sports. Executives at both FOX and NASCAR have made a push to figure out how to recapture the younger fans’ attention.
The ratings news got sweeter for NASCAR when Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 ratings were up 13 percent to a 4.5, making it the most-watched Coke 600 broadcast since 2008.
Overall, the ratings are still down significantly from the sport’s boom that peaked around 2004 or 2005. But at least the ratings are no longer falling – at least in FOX’s portion of the season.
After Kansas, TNT will take over the NASCAR schedule for a six-race summer stretch, then turn over the remainder of the season to ESPN.
D’Ermilio says an average of 8.8 million people have watched the FOX races this season.
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