South Point 400 TV ratings not impressive

Las Vegas Review-Journal

6 years ago

Race car driver Brad Keselowski celebrates with a burnout at the start/finish line after winning the South Point 400 NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Richard Brian Las Vegas Review-Journal @vegasphotograph

Race car driver Brad Keselowski celebrates in victory lane after winning the South Point 400 NASCAR Cup Series auto race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. Richard Brian Las Vegas Review-Journal @vegasphotograph

With a 1.3 rating and 2.14 million viewers, final TV numbers for the inaugural South Point 400 were slightly down from last year’s playoff race at Chicagoland Speedway (1.4, 2.31) which it replaced on the NASCAR schedule.

According to Sports Media Watch, the race at LVMS won by Brad Keselowski was the 14th Cup Series race with less than a 2.0 rating in 2018, topping last year’s total of 12 with nine races still to run. It was the fifth race with less than a 1.5 rating, exceeding the previous 17 seasons combined (four).

The race contested in 100-degree weather also was the least-attended Cup Series event in Las Vegas history, attracting a crowd of around 45,000 according to media estimates.