Fox reports good TV ratings for Charlotte, and a big plus this year in key demographics; ABC/ESPN up too

   Fox' Larry McReynolds (L), ready to hand the NASCAR mike to Turner's Kyle Petty (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
  

   (Updated)

   By Mike Mulhern
   mikemulhern.net

   The longest race on the NASCAR tour, won by Kevin Harvick after 4-1/2 hours of chaos, drew a 4.5 TV rating, which Fox says means 8.1 million viewers.
   And that's up 13 percent over the 2010 race in households watching and up 24 percent in total viewers.
   Fox says it's the best TV rating for the 600 since 2008's 4.7.
   Sunday's 400 here at Kansas Speedway will be the final race of the year on Fox, with Turner taking over next weekend at Pocono for a six-week run.
   For it's first 12 races (not counting the All-Star, on Speed), Fox reports a 5.1 average household rating, up four percent over the same period last season, and an average 8.8 million viewers, up nine percent.
   But Fox officials point to the 18-34 male demographic as the biggest plus – up 27 percent over last year.
   And on the Truck side of the TV scene:
   Charlotte's Truck race was up 42 percent in households over last year's rain-delayed event, with a rating of .98 – 773,000 households. That's the best since 2008. Speed says this year's race averaged more than one million viewers.
   And it's the fourth straight Truck race up in ratings year-over-year, following Martinsville, Nashville and Dover. Ratings for the series are up seven percent over this point a year ago.
    The NASCAR Truck tour's 400th event is set here Saturday at 2 pmET.

   And Friday afternoon ABC released ratings for last Saturday's Nationwide race at Charlotte, which earned a final national rating of 1.6, translating to an average 2,457,000 viewers, according to Nielsen. That's up 23 percent from last year's race, also on ABC (a 1.3 rating).
   For the season, the Nationwide series – carried on ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 – is up 16 percent in ratings over the same period last year.

    Greg Biffle, last fall's Kansas winner, denied at Charlotte, and ready for revenge (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)