Fort Worth Star Telegra,
Tuesday, July 10, 2001
Briefly in Sports
From Staff and Wire Reports
Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s emotional victory in the Pepsi 400 on NBC Saturday night was the highest-rated prime time NASCAR Winston Cup event in history, according to figures released by Nielsen Media Research. Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s emotional victory in the Pepsi 400 on NBC Saturday night was the highest-rated prime time NASCAR Winston Cup event in history, according to figures released by Nielsen Media Research.
The first race carried by NBC/TNT as part of their six-year, $2.4 billion contract with NASCAR delivered a 5.8 overnight rating/11 share between 7 and 10:15 p.m., CDT. The 5.8 rating represents a 41 percent increase over last year's 4.1 overnight/9 share on CBS. The previous primetime record was a 4.9 overnight/10 share for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., on May 27. That race was televised by Fox.
Earnhardt Jr., 26, scored his third career Cup victory in the first race at the track where his father, Dale Earnhardt, was killed during the Daytona 500 on Feb. 18.
- John Sturbin
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