The Daytona 500 Ratings Weren't Great, But At Least They Ain't The NBA

Look, are they what they were 20 years ago? Come on. Of course not. But, let's be fair, the Daytona 500 TV ratings still pack a punch that I'd imagine other sports not named the NFL or college football would kill for most days. 

Looking at you, NBA. I know it's low-hanging fruit, but sometimes you have to take the lay-up. 

The ratings for Sunday's rain-delayed race are OUT, and they're … a mixed bag. They were trending to be great, then the rain came, and then … not all the folks came back to watch the final 190 laps. 

Not to say they were bad – they weren't – but my guess is NASCAR feels a little bent over by Mother Nature on this one. 

And I'd assume that ain't a great feeling!

Let's dive into these NASCAR numbers

So the good news? The race was up 13% from last year's Daytona 500 and checked in at a solid 6.7. Again, it's not great, but we've all seen much worse. 

Hell, again, look at the NBA last weekend. The All-Star game was an unbelievable flop. The NBA All-Star game used to be must-see TV. The entire weekend was back in the day. 

Now? It's a disaster. All-Star Saturday night averaged 3.4 million viewers, while Sunday's game averaged 4.7 – down 13% from last year. Second-lowest on record. Yikes. 

Obviously, both are miles behind the Daytona 500, which looks great on paper. But, some could make the argument that your sport's Super Bowl should easily crush another sport's All-Star game. 

And that's fair, too. But, it's still a line drive in the book, right?! A hit's a hit. 

Speaking of MLB … Last year's postseason (on FOX!) averaged a shade under 7.5 million viewers per game, which would put it right in line with Sunday's Daytona 500. Game 7 of last summer's Stanley Cup Final on ESPN/ABC averaged 7.7 million viewers. Again, right in line. 

To be fair, while average viewership for last year's NBA Finals hit a three-year low, it still averaged over 11 million per game. The World Series averaged nearly 16 million viewers, which isn't surprising given it was Yankees-Dodgers. 

Talk about a DREAM for Rob Manfred. What a gift. 

Anyway, back to NASCAR … the obvious question everyone is asking right now is how that 6.7 number compares to its prime. The peak. The glory days. 

And … it ain't even close. Not even kind of. Laughable, really. 

From 2001-2015, it was considered a BAD Daytona 500 if fewer than 17 million viewers tuned in for NASCAR's biggest race. Seventeen million! 

Will NASCAR – or any sport that doesn't involve a football – ever see those numbers again? Eh. Probably not. Maybe, but, if so, it'll be rare. 

So what's the whole point of this rambling data sheet? I don't really know, other than to say the Daytona 500 could've been better, but at least it ain't the NBA. 

Amen, brother!