NASCAR Ratings Decline (Again) and Fans Continue Debate on Why

What’s Happening?

Let the Richmond race ratings debate begin: Was this weekend’s nearly 1.7-million viewer drop from last year due to timing going up against an NCAA women’s basketball national championship game (9.9 million viewers)? Or was it just simply a big drop because last year’s race was on the main FOX channel and this past weekend was on second-tier FS1 — the first NASCAR Cup Series race event on the channel since the Daytona 500 duels back in February?

With a bevy of Cup Series races coming up that are on FS1, is this just an inevitability for much of the next month or so? Let’s see what’s being said about it:

• The ratings slipped again, a trend that began in Daytona. The numbers don’t lie, but debates rage — especially among fans — about the most important question: Why? We know the what, but why is this happening? The FS1 rating was a 1.30 from Sunday’s Richmond race, but then again, last year’s was on FOX’s No. 1 channel and had a 2.30. A lot more people get just FOX and no FS1, depending on their cable package.
• How much of an impact could this have on the upcoming negotiations when it comes to the new media rights deal NASCAR will be shopping?
• Does this younger base of drivers just not entertain the fans as much? We’ll let fans explain if it does.

In the Stands

Dillon Gaudet, a weatherman who happens to love NASCAR, pointed out how well the NCAA women’s basketball championship game pulled with LSU knocking off Iowa.

Jared Thomas brought up the FS1 question

Kyle Granger has certainly noticed the trend

Neil Parry didn’t mince words

Brandude thinks its the broadcasters