Brickyard 400 sets ratings record

NBC rode the Brickyard 400 to the highest overnight rating in the NASCAR race's eight-year history on Sunday.

The NASCAR Winston Cup race hit a 5.7 rating, 13 share in Nielsen overnight numbers, representing a 58% rise over last year's 3.6 on ABC. The overnight rating is also 21 percent better than the previous ratings high for the race, a 4.7 in 1994 on ABC.

It's also the highest overnight rating for a NASCAR event on NBC to date - a 5.6 for the Pepsi 400 from Daytona International Speedway on NBC on July 7. That event, featuring Dale Earnhardt, Jr.'s dramatic victory on the track that claimed his father's life, was the highest rated prime time NASCAR race ever.
- Richard Tedesco