NASCAR has record low for TV viewership
The bad news just keeps coming for the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series.
NASCAR’s top series had another record low for TV viewership this season.
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series averaged 3.3 million viewers across 33 races on NBC, Fox, NBCSN and FS1 this season (excluding rainouts at Martinsville, Bristol and Indianapolis). That figure is down from 4.1 million viewers last year, and down from 4.5 million viewers in ‘16. However in all fairness there are a number of major league sports that would love to have these TV numbers.
Of all the weekend race telecasts this year, more than twothirds likely had record low
viewership, including the Daytona 500 and championship race from Homestead-Miami Speedway. A positive note came with the new Roval event on Sept. 30. The telecast drew just over 3.2 million viewers.
Meanwhile, of the 12 Cup races that NBCSN had this year (excluding Indy), seven of those were the most-viewed sports event on cable TV during their respective weekends. Looking at the average digital audience across all 36 race days this season, NASCAR saw content consumption rise 29 percent compared to ‘17, while total page views were up 13 percent and total video views were up 49 percent.
The championship race from Homestead was the top playoff race at 4.2 million viewers on NBC. Last year, the finale drew 4.7 million, which featured Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s final Cup race.
Of course sports viewership across the board, and television viewership in general, is down year after year, but that doesn’t explain NASCAR’s especially putrid decline at such a consistent pace. That tickets to Sunday’s championship race were available for as little as $9 an hour before the race — which was supposedly sold-out — isn’t just a bad look for the sport, but it’s flat out bad. So the question becomes obvious.
There is no denying that NASCAR has problems. The racing is broken and
there seems to be no one able to fix it. They seem to keep resorting to patching rather than fixing.
The cost of being involved in Cup racing has gotten out of hand. The owner’s alliance that was supposed to do so much good by adding value to the charters that owners were forced to buy seems to have done little. It has seemingly kept new teams from coming on board and most of the races are run with less than the 40 car fields that used to be produced. I would not be surprised to see the starting fields cut to 36.
One big problem is the cost of sponsorship and what the sponsor gets in return. Sure the big teams, those that get most of the TV exposure, seem able to attract serious sponsorship support. However it is tough to sell sponsorship on cars that get little TV coverage as could be seen by all the attention given the so called Big Three during much of the season and then the four playoff finalists at Homestead.
As Brendon Marks pointed out in a recent column the two deepest gashes inflicted on the sport this season were, as many gashes are, about money. Longtime sponsors departed the sport in waves, everyone from Lowe’s leaving Jimmie Johnson — after 17 years and an unthinkable seven Cup championships — to 5-hour Energy dumping the then-reigning Cup champ Martin Truex Jr.
Think about that: The reigning champion of the most prestigious, competitive brand of racing in the United States couldn’t find a willing partner. Businesses saw a true championship contender in a sport that emphasizes not only brand awareness but widespread promotion, and decided, “Nah, we’re better off investing elsewhere.”
Actually I think the shutdown of Truex Jr. team was more to do with the owner’s health issues and wanting to be with family at home rather than spending his money on racing.
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Here are some changes: Front Row Motorsports expands to three teams for 2019 with Matt Tift signing on. He will join the Rookie Class with Ryan Preece, graduating from the NASCAR Modified Tour, and Daniel Hemric.
Ryan Newman leaves Richard Childress and joins Roush Fenway Racing.
2017 Cup champion Martin Truex Jr. was left without a ride when, despite winning the Cup title and finishing second in 2018, Furniture Row Racing folded. Some of the blame for that goes to Five Hour Energy leaving the team without sponsorship and no success in efforts to secure new sponsorship. Truex and his crew chief Cole Pearn sign with Joe Gibbs Racing pushing Daniel Suarez out of a ride but Suarez, with family sponsorship money, looks to be taking Kurt Busch’s place at Stewart-Haas in the No. 41.
Daniel Hemric signs with Richard Childress Racing replacing Newman.
Ryan Preece replaces AJ Allmendinger at JTG Dougherty leaving Allmendinger looking for work.
As this being written Kurt Busch is rumored to be taking over the No. 1 Chip Ganassi Cup entry with Jamie McMurray having no plans for the new season. However Busch has not confirmed his move to Ganassi.
Matt DiBenedetto is moving from Go Fas Racing to Leavine Family Racing and the team will switch to Toyota and Denny Hamlin’s crew chief in 2018 will move to Leavine.
2011 Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne has been let go by Roush Racing.
Matt Kenseth, drove for Roush Racing in a few events but seems to be looking to stay home in 2019.
Kasey Kahne has given up on NASCAR racing and will go Sprint car racing with his own team following Tony Stewart.
NASCAR Truck Series Most Popular Driver Noah Grayson replaces retiring Elliott Sadler at JR Motorsports (Dale Jr. owned team). Sadler was named the Most Popular Xfinity Series for the fourth time and third year in a row.
Ross Chastain joins the No. 42 Ganassi owned Xfinity team.
Chase Briscoe will be a teammate with Cole Custer in a second Stewart-Haas Xfinity entry. Proving that sponsorship is everywhere the team will be sponsored by Nutri Chomps. In case you are wondering they are rawhide-free alternative dog chews made with real chicken and port skin. Yummy!!
Tyler Reddick goes from JR Motorsports to RCR for the Xfinity 2019 season.
And just think, in just a very short time we will start all the craziness again with February in Daytona Beach.