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The overnight ratings were down 21.9 Percent For Chase Race #1 at New Hampshire. NASCAR’s Chase for the Championship was supposed to translate into maintaining fan interest throughout a 36-race regular season. Instead, it looks like they’re all getting interested in something else. |
ABC posted just a 2.5 overnight rating for the first Chase race at New Hampshire, down 21.9 percent from the 3.2 rating of a year ago. That’s the lowest total viewership of any playoff event since the point system was adjusted back in 2004, also registering as the worst of any of NASCAR’s 27 events this season. The disappointing rating is also 17 percent lower than what the race posted in September 2003 — the year before the Chase began, when the 300-lapper was broadcast on cable network TNT. This report came from StockCarGazette.com.
This one came from Speed TV PR and StockcarGazette.com. NCWTS TV ratings up 40 percent at Loudon: Nielsen Household Ratings for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series continue to be up year-to-year on SPEED, as the race from Loudon scored a .74 (546,000 households), a 40-percent increase over last year’s .53 (387,000 households) from the New Hampshire track. The telecast peaked at a .86 (635,000 households), a 21-percent increase over last year’s .71 (518,000 households). In addition to the continued growth of the NCWTS audience on SPEED, the popular NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pre-race show, NASCAR RaceDay, has recorded ratings increases for nine of the last 10 weekends and is up year-to-year, as is NCWTS Setup, the Truck Series pre-race show.
According to several reports, NASCAR filed affidavits Monday in U.S. District Court from three Kentucky residents and a deposition from a former brother-in-law who said they have seen suspended Sprint Cup driver Jeremy Mayfield use methamphetamines at least 50 times since 1997. The affidavits were part of a request asking the court Monday for a mental and physical examination of Mayfield to determine if he suffers from a substance-abuse disorder and/or adult-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Mayfield has sued NASCAR for suspending him for a May 1 drug test that it says was positive for methamphetamines but Mayfield claims produced a false positive reading as the result of the prescription drug Adderall (for ADHD diagnosed earlier this year) and over-the-counter allergy medication Claritin-D. He is also suing for defamation. Mayfield has denied using methamphetamines in several interviews and court documents. The new affidavits are from people who knew Mayfield from his home state of Kentucky.
On last Sunday’s eight barrel rolls by the youthful Joey Lagano at Dover, it did prove that the COT can stand up to a lot of punishment which is good. The bad news is that the COT does not resemble the Fords, Chevys, Dodges and Camrys in the show room. That’s why we still think that NASCAR got this very expensive redesign wrong.
South Korea makes its debut as a Formula One race host next year and Canada returns to the calendar as the series expands to a record-equaling 19 races. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) announced the approved calendar on Monday. Major changes include the pushing back of the Australian race from first place – which it has held since 1996, except for 2006 due a clash with the Commonwealth Games – to third place. Bahrain’s Sakhir circuit will instead host the first race on March 14.
South Korea makes its entrance on October 17. Canada has been penciled in for June 13 but Turkey stands ready to move into that date should ongoing contract negotiations between Formula One and the Montreal circuit bear no fruit. There will be day-night races at Australia, Abu Dhabi and Malaysia, and a night race again in Singapore. Britain is penciled in for July 11, with no circuit specified – Donington Park should host the race but Bernie Ecclestone has said Silverstone will be the venue if Donington’s preparations are not complete in time. This came from SportsBusiness.International. The full calendar is as follows and significantly absent is an event for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in mid-June which would make sense as the Canadian GP is back on the 2010 calendar and it would make the air trip with the teams and equipment to No. America more cost effective.
March 14 – Bahrain
March 28 – Australia
April 4 – Malaysia
April 18 – China
May 9 – Spain
May 23 – Monaco
May 30 – Turkey
June 13 – Canada*
June 27 – Europe (Valencia)
July 11 – Britain
July 25 – Germany
Aug 1 – Hungary
Aug 29 – Belgium
Sept 12 – Italy
Sept 26 – Singapore
Oct 3 – Japan
Oct 17 – South Korea
Oct 31 – Abu Dhabi
Nov 14 – Brazil
This item also came from SportsBusinessInternational. The Renault Formula One team has lost its title sponsor financial services company ING Groep NV, and a secondary sponsor, following its implication in a race-fixing scandal. The two companies had planned to leave Formula One at the end of the 2009 season anyway, but the scandal prompted an early withdrawal. ING, the Netherlands’ biggest financial services company said it was “deeply disappointed” by Renault’s actions, “especially in the context of an otherwise successful sponsorship”. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) found Renault guilty of conspiring to make one of its drivers, Nelson Piquet Jr, crash at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix to help team-mate Fernando Alonso win the race. Spanish car insurance company Mutua Madrilena pulled its own sponsorship of the team, asking for its logo to be removed from Renault’s cars, just hours before the ING announcement.
On last weekend’s Singapore race, in spite of the fact that the event was held under the lights it’s still on a temporary course in the city. While some of the 3-mile course was pretty wide there were still narrow spots on the track which is a akin to racing down an alley at 200 mph plus. While the USA Speed TV announcing crew tried to equate the course with Monte Carlo, that’s a big stretch because this event doesn’t have the history, ambiance or culture of the Grand Prix of Monaco.
Let’s check to see what’s happening this week through the weekend on TV, courtesy of RaceFanTV.com. On Monday ESPN2 airs NASCAR Now at 6 p.m. then at 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday. Things ramp-up quickly on Thursday at 3 p.m. as Speed offers the NASCAR Camping World East race at Dover, DE. Then the ARCA/REMAX Series from KC, KS at 5 p.m. At the same time ESPN2 offers NASCAR Now. On Friday the momentum picks up even more with a 1 a.m. broadcast of F1 Practice from Japan on Speed. Speed returns at 1 p.m. with NASCAR Cup Practice at 1 p.m. from KC with Nationwide Practice following at 3 p.m. at the same venue. The Duce kicks in with Cup Qualifying from KC at 4:30 p.m. then Final Practice for the Nationwide Series at 6 p.m. followed by NASCAR Now at 7 p.m.
Saturday’s offerings start at 1 a.m with F1 Qualifying on Speed at 1 a.m. Then Speed comes back at 10 a.m. with Nationwide Qualifying from KC. Speed goes with Cup Practice from KC at 12:30 p.m. then the Grand Am event from Tooele, UT at 1:30 p.m. ESPN2 returns at 3:30 p.m. with the Nationwide Series race from KC. Speed offers a 5 p.m. airing of the IHRA National at Martin, MI. The Duce comes back at
6:30 p.m. with Cup Final Practice from KC. Speed returns at 8 p.m. airing the WoO from Williams Grove, PA. Finally ESPN2 airs NHRA Qualifying from Memphis at 10:30 p.m.
Sunday will be a long stretch for the motorheads with wall-to-wall action starting at 12:30 a.m. as Speed broadcasts the F1 GP of Japan. ESPN2 offers NASCAR Now at 10 a.m. from KC then Raceday from that same track at 11 a.m. ABC comes on the airwaves to offer the Cup race from KC at 2 p.m. For the bike crowd Speed goes with the FIM Superbikes from France at 3 p.m. and then the FIM 250 from Portugal at 5 p.m. HD Theatre comes on the scene with the World Rally Preview for ’09 at 7 p.m. At the same time ESPN2 offers the NHRA Finals from Memphis. Also at 7 p.m. The Speed Report on Speed will wrap the very busy weekend then Victory Lane from KC. At 8 p.m. HD Theatre offers the World Rally of Ireland-2009. Wind Tunnel goes at 9 p.m. on Speed and finally the weekend comes to a merciful end with ESPN2 offering a NASCAR Now Post Race program at 10 p.m. So plan your tube time carefully this weekend. It also makes us think that there’s too much motor head programming especially as the current season is in the wind down mode. Overexposure isn’t a good thing for motorsports. But it does work for the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL when the gambling aspect is considered. But, gaming is not part-and-parcel of motorsports which results in a drop in the TV ratings. (END)
