Fox/FS1 ends its 2017 NASCAR season with yet another ratings low

Several races set record lows in both ratings and viewership

Fox Sports has ended another NASCAR season and it continued its theme for
2017 finishing with another ratings low. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup
race at Sonoma on FS1 Sunday finished with a 2.0 final rating and 3.2
million viewers. That�s down 17% in ratings and viewership from last year
(2.4/3.9 million).

That�s the lowest rating for the race dating back to 1998 and lowest
viewership since 2002. Sports Media Watch points out that when the race
aired on TNT in 2012, Sonoma had a 3.3 rating and 5.2 million viewers. For
the season, Fox/FS1�s 15 Cup races either set or tied a multi-year ratings
low. Twelve races set or tied multi-year viewership lows.

Back in March, we noted the low ratings and how NASCAR has tried to stem
the tide with various tweaks to the points system, changes on how races
are run, but they still haven�t been enough to reverse the fall.

Here are some of the races on Fox or FS1 that have suffered lows:

Michigan (FS1, 6/18) � 1.85 rating/3.1 million viewers (ratings down
16%/viewership off 9% from last year), lowest ratings since 1996, lowest
viewership dating back to 2000.

Pocono (FS1, 6/11) � 2.2 rating/3.56 million viewers (ratings down from
2.3/viewership down 2% from last year), lowest-rated (excluding rainouts)
since 2000 and least-viewed since 2001.

Dover (FS1, 6/4) � 2.1 rating/3.4 million viewers (ratings and viewership
off 16% from 2016), lowest-rated race since at least 1998 and least-
watched since 2001.

Charlotte (Fox, 5/28) � 2.8 rating/4.6 million viewers (ratings down
18%/viewership down 19%), lowest-rated since 1996 and least viewed since
2000.

Kansas (FS1, 5/13) � 1.55 rating/2.6 million viewers (rating down
18%/viewership decreased by 17% from the year before), tied as the lowest-
rated race and 2nd lowest-viewed since 2011.

Talladega (Fox, 5/7) � 3.5 rating/5.9 million viewers (ratings down
13%/viewership off 11% from last year), lowest ratings since 1997 and
lowest-viewed since 2001.

Richmond (Fox, 4/30) � 2.9 rating/4.6 million viewers (ratings dropped
6%/viewership down 4% from 2016), ratings tied for lowest since 2001 with
viewership lowest since 2004.

Phoenix (Fox, 3/19) � 3.3. rating/5.4 million viewers (ratings down
18%/viewership off 19% versus last year), it was the 4th lowest-rated ever
NASCAR race on Fox.

Las Vegas (Fox, 3/12) � 3.6 rating/6.0 million viewers (rating down
18%/viewership off 17% compared to last year), lowest ratings in the
history of the race, viewership lowest since 2001

Atlanta (Fox, 3/5) � 3.8 rating/6.6 million viewers (ratings down
7%/viewership off 3% from last year), lowest race rating since 1998 for
race following Daytona.

Daytona (Fox, 2/26) � 6.6 rating/11.9 million viewers (ratings
flat/viewership up 5% from 2016), tied for second-lowest race since 1979.

So you can see how the ratings and viewership have decreased. And by
setting record lows, it�s a massive cause for concern for both NASCAR and
its TV partners. With NBC taking over the season this weekend, the Peacock
is hoping that it won�t suffer as much, but there�s no evidence at this
point that it can reverse the fall.

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another-ratings-low.html