Dodge/Save Mart 350 Posts Record Television Ratings

SONOMA, Calif. une 30, 2005: NEXTEL Cup Series Dodge/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway last weekend was the highest-rated and most-viewed road-course race in the history of NASCAR.

The event earned a 5.7 rating on FOX, bettering the previous road-course record of 5.6 set at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) in 2003 (NBC). The rating also represented a 21-percent increase over the 2004 Dodge/Save Mart 350 (4.7 on FOX).

The race attracted 8.8 million viewers, compared to the 2003 Watkins Glen event, which attracted 8.7 million viewers.

“These are terrific numbers. Road-course racing is not easy to capture on television and the FOX Sports crew has done a phenomenal job of delivering the flavor and excitement of the race-day experience for the home viewer,” said Steve Page, president and general manager of Infineon Raceway.

Locally, the race generated a 3.2 rating in San Francisco and a 4.7 rating in Sacramento on FOX. The San Francisco market has experienced more than a 20-percent gain in ratings over 2004.

The 2005 Dodge/Save Mart 350 aired directly up against the PGA, LPGA (Women’s U.S. Open), NCAA College World Series Championship (Game #2), U.S. Women’s Soccer, USA Track & Field, SPEED Touring Car Championship, SPEED GT Championship, and Major League Baseball.

A rating point indicates the percentage of U.S. homes tuned in to an event. All data used was obtained from Nielsen Media Research.