Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Our Third Thanksgiving With You


This may have been one of the most interesting seasons in many years where NASCAR TV was concerned. The topics we discussed and the issues that arose are going to certainly be what we continue to talk about over the next three months.

Before we get to that, it's time for a Thanksgiving break. So, I just wanted to say thanks to the TV gang, the NASCAR team folks and the NASCAR media relations staff for all the help and assistance this season.

Most of all, I would like to thank TDP readers for taking time from their regular lives to contribute thoughts and opinions. NASCAR fans come from all walks of life and are all ages. They have widely different opinions on the issues, but all feel passion for the sport.

I hope you have a peaceful holiday and enjoy family and friends in whatever setting you choose. TDP will return after the holiday. Feel free to use the comments section to pass along holiday greetings to others. Thanks again.

Your Turn: Sprint Cup Series Race From Homestead On ABC (Updated)


Update: We are leaving this post up until Wednesday evening another day after the news came out concerning the TV ratings for the Homestead event. Here is a summary:

Overnight ratings from the Nielsen Media Research company were down 11.1 percent when compared to last year’s ratings for the Ford 400 on ABC, according to a Street and Smith’s SportsBusiness Daily report.

The broadcast earned a 3.2 rating, which means roughly 1.4 million people watched the race. The Ford 400 drew a 3.6 rating last year.

The 3.2 rating is the lowest TV rating of the entire 2009 Chase for the Sprint Cup Series.

TV rating for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series have been on a steep decline since 2004. In fact, ratings for the Ford 400 have dropped 43% percent from the 2004 rating of 5.2 during that time period.

Nielson releases the final TV ratings for ABC on Thursday.


Allen Bestwick started the show with NASCAR Countdown. Ray Evernham, Brad Daugherty and Rusty Wallace joined him in the Infield Pit Studio.

Dr. Jerry Punch, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree were in the TV booth. The pit reporters were Shannon Spake, Jamie Little, Vince Welch and Dave Burns. Tim Brewer was in the Tech Garage.

The weather was good, the video and audio were solid. There were no technical problems in the telecast.

This is your final opportunity of the season to let your opinion be known about the NASCAR on ESPN team covering the Sprint Cup Series race from Homestead. Include the pre and post-race coverage in your comments.

To add your opinion of the TV coverage, click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. This is our most popular post on a regular basis. Your comments will be read by thousands of Internet users.

Thank you for taking the time this season to leave your comments on the NASCAR TV partners that covered the Sprint Cup Series races.