2012 Daytona 500: Ratings Down Slightly From Last Year, Still Impressive

The Daytona 500 typically starts on a Sunday, but thanks to the Florida rain it was delayed twice until Monday evening, leaving the Daytona 500 to be run in prime time for the first time in the race's history. Despite the multiple delays, the race still pulled in a very good overnight rating, albeit lower than last year's race but higher than the 2010 race.

Fox says the Daytona 500 overnight is an impressive 7.7. Last year, on a Sunday afternoon, it was an 8.2. In 2010, it was a 7.0.

— John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) February 28, 2012

While the 7.7 overnight is respectable considering everything that happened, the most impressive part of the evening is the fact that during the red flag delay of the race while the track was on fire, it pulled in a 7.3 rating according to John Ourand. That's likely because everyone likes car crashes and fires.

For more on the wild race that was, visit our 2012 Daytona 500 StoryStream. If you missedJuan Pablo Montoya's crash, be sure to check out the video.