Two Daytona 500 Press Releases

Gotta catch up with some press releases and a blasting of NBC later, but let’s do the press releases first.

Here’s Fox Sports with a look at its ratings for the Great American Race.

VIEWERS TUNE IN TO EPIC DAYTONA 500 ON FOX

Total Audience Up +14% Over 2009

New York – Almost 30 million people saw at least some part of FOX Sports’ coverage of the dramatic 2010 DAYTONA 500 yesterday, a race that lasted more than six hours and included 52 lead changes, a Daytona-record 21 different drivers taking the lead and a spectacular finish as Jamie McMurray held off Dale Earnhardt Jr’s charge in the final lap to claim his first Daytona 500 win.

Nielsen Media Research estimates that 29.8 million Americans watched at least some part of this year’s Daytona 500, a +14% gain over last year’s 26.2 million.

Two unprecedented delays to repair asphalt damage on the track totaled almost two and half hours and had a sizable impact on the rating. The race portion of the 2010 DAYTONA 500 broadcast earned a fast national rating of 7.7/16 (13.3 million viewers), compared to last year’s 9.2/19. The delays were excluded from the rating as Nielsen Media Research treats them as they would a rain delay during an MLB game.

In the 31-year history of flag-to-flag television coverage of the Daytona 500, there have been two previous races that were delayed and re-started and both suffered sizable ratings decreases. The 1995 running was delayed over two hours by rain and the result was a -19% decline versus prior year (7.8 vs. 9.6). The 2003 race on FOX was also delayed by rain and not run to the full 500 miles. That race rated -10% lower than the 2002 running on NBC (9.8 vs. 10.9).

Despite the delays, there were substantial ratings gains in key NASCAR markets including Atlanta (+11%; 11.0 vs. 9.9), Charlotte (+8%, 16.8 vs. 15.6), Norfolk (+7%, 12.2 vs. 11.4) and Ft. Myers (+12%, 10.0 vs. 8.9). Greensboro (NC) led all local markets with a 16.9/28. Charlotte 16.8/30; Greenville (SC), 16.6/27; Indianapolis, 16.0/28; Orlando, 15.4/29; Louisville, 13.3/22; Nashville, 13.1/21; Knoxville, 13.0, 19; Jacksonville, 12.8/22 and Dayton, 12.7/23 round out the top 10 metered markets.

However, it’s important to note the pothole delays and the Winter Olympics helped to push the ratings down to their lowest level since 1991 as Sports Media Watch points out.

And tonight, HBO carries the series finale of 24/7 Jimmie Johnson: Race to Daytona.

24/7 JIMMIE JOHNSON:  RACE TO DAYTONA

FEB. 16 EPISODE

            HBO Sports’ all-access show 24/7 JIMMIE JOHNSON:  RACE TO DAYTONA concludes with its fourth episode, debuting TUESDAY, FEB. 16 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT). The four-week series spotlights one of racing’s biggest stars, reigning four-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, and gives viewers an inside look at the driver and his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team as they prepare for the Daytona 500, the Super Bowl of auto racing.

            Episode #4 (series finale)

            Debut:  TUESDAY, FEB. 16 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT)

             The 48 car competes at the 52nd running of the Great American Race on Feb. 14.

            Setting the stage for Sunday’s action at Daytona, HBO will present the first three installments of 24/7 JIMMIE JOHNSON: RACE TO DAYTONA back-to-back on Saturday, Feb. 13 (11:00 p.m.-12:30 a.m.) and Sunday, Feb. 14 (8:00-9:30 a.m.).

            The executive producers of 24/7 JIMMIE JOHNSON:  RACE TO DAYTONA are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; senior producer, Dave Harmon; coordinating producer, Scott Boggins; producer, Bentley Weiner; writer, Peter Nelson. Liev Schreiber narrates.

We end this post, but we have more to go. Keep it here.