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TV Ratings for the Nationwide race at Daytona:


" With an average of more than 4.2 million people watching, ESPN2’s live telecast of the NASCAR Nationwide Series season-opening race Feb. 13 from Daytona International Speedway set a record as the most viewed Nationwide Series race ever on cable.

ESPN reported that the fast national rating for the race, which included the NASCAR debut for IndyCar Series driver Danica Patrick, was a 3.2, up 33 percent from the 2.4 rating last year and up 28 percent from the 2.5 for the 2008 race. This year’s telecast averaged 4,271,365 viewers, breaking the series’ previous cable record for TNT’s coverage of the 2006 Daytona race, which attracted 3,954,798 viewers.

ESPN2 peaked with a 3.5 household coverage rating for the last 20 minutes of the race with Patrick already having crashed out of the event.

“While Danica certainly helped bring people to the telecast, she wasn’t the only factor,” said Julie Sobieski, ESPN vice president for programming and acquisitions. “Great Daytona Nationwide racing action kept viewers through to the checkered flag.” "