The record Daytona 500 rain delay heavily impacted the television ratings for the race Sunday on Fox.
Fox reported that the race with a record 6-hour, 21-minute rain delay averaged a 5.6 overnight rating, down 44 percent from last years 10.0. The race averaged 9.3 million viewers this year; last years averaged 16.7 million viewers.
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Dale Earnhardt, Jr. AP Photo/John Raoux
The opening portion of the race drew a 6.3 rating, the rain delay coverage (much of it being a rerun of last years race) drew a 4.0 and the evening portion drew a 5.5 (starting at 4.6 and growing to 6.7 at the finish). Overall, 23.7 million people watched some portion of the race.
By running in the evening, the race went head-to-head with NBCs coverage of the Olympic closing ceremonies, which drew a 9.6 overnight rating, down from 14.1 in 2010. Also likely impacting the ratings were popular Sunday night shows "The Walking Dead" (6.6) and "The Amazing Race" (5.3).
A small ratings drop was expected because of the huge buildup and focus on the 2013 race, which included the historic first pole by a female driver (Danica Patrick) and her top-10 run throughout the race, the introduction of the new Gen-6 car and the crash the day before in the Nationwide Series race that injured more than 30 fans.
Source: http://www.sportingnews.com/nascar/story/2014-02-24/daytona-500-tv-ratings-fox-earnhardt-jr-danica-patrick-rain-delay-olympics-walking-dead-amazing-race
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