If you're curious, Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Subway Fresh Fit 500 race earned a 5.0 in the TV ratings.
This
is a mixed bit of blessing in that this was the second-highest rating
for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 (but that pitch seems weak when you see the chart below) but yet, tied for the lowest rating for the
second race of any season, since Fox started airing NASCAR races.
Sure, there might have been other sporting venues on the tele, but there always are... and we just came off a huge, long, drawn out telecast from last weekend. There can be all kinds of things that account for the drop, including lack of appreciation of what goes into a race or those that tune in know that the big wrecks happen at the big tracks. (Sorry to say, but I've seen the generic fan reaction and it's a bit sad.)
Over on Sports Media Watch, they've charted out the ratings for the second race of the NASCAR Sprint Cup season, since 2001.
In 2009 the ratings took a huge dive.
Not
to be a hater of the animated critter that was shoved down our throats
by Fox, but wasn't 2009 when we started getting fed Digger bites, with
the animation and then the next season, with that dreadful cartoon?
I'm sure I'm way off the mark on this one, but the emotional scars
are still there and then this chart seems to correlate my own trauma. Did that many people really get turned off by the Digger marketing or just me?
Just sayin', in fun of course.
Darian Grubb Continues His Winning Ways at Phoenix with Denny Hamlin
Denny Hamlin sent a message today at the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway by taking the checkered flag afte a hard-fought final set of laps. And defending champion crew chief Darian Grub also sent a message by getting his driver into the winner's circle.
Those last few laps were pretty intense because for all intent purposes, it looked like Kevin Harvick was overtaking Hamlin and that it would be Harvick's to not win. But with just over a lap to go, Harvick faded away from the back bumper of Hamlin's bumper, the conjecture being that he ran out of fuel.
Everyone was having fuel mileage concerns but Hamlin ran pretty good today at Phoenix.
Cars that had problems today included Clint Bowyer (tire), Kasey Kahne (Wall smack), Casey Mears (spin), Paul Menard (crash), collecting A.J. Allmendinger and Jamie McMurray, David Reutimann (engine), Ryan Newman (Crash) and Tony Stewart (FUEL INJECTION).
After 312 laps, 7 cautions, 15 leaders and 25 lead changes, Denny Hamlin showed that fear is not a factor... oh, wait, wrong show!
But Hamlin won, followed by Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Jimmie Johnson, and Brad Keselowski. Danica Patrick WAS NOT in this race, so the media coverage was minimal. (snarc!)
Today's race propelled Denny Hamlin to the top of the driver points standings. Other improvements from last week were Greg Biffle (now 2nd), Kevin Harvick (3rd) and Matt Kenseth is now sitting in 4th.
These big jumps in positions are to be expected for a few races until things settle out.
