Richmond's TV ratings? A mixed bag for ABC

   NASCAR's playoff stars celebrate the end of the regular season at Richmond Saturday night. But just how strong were those TV ratings? And with Chevrolet dropping sponsorship of the event for 2010, who will step in to help promote it? (Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR)
  

  By Mike Mulhern
  mikemulhern.net

  
   ABC opened its part of the NASCAR Sprint Cup tour, the final 11 events of the 36-race season, with a so-so 3.5 TV rating for Saturday night's Chevy Rock&Roll 400 at Richmond.
   That mean some 5.5 million viewers were watching Denny Hamlin roll to a solid victory in the last race of the regular season.
   The championship playoffs kick off this weekend at Loudon, N.H.
   Ironically ESPN's own Saturday night telecast -- USC-Ohio State -- pulled a whopping 7.3 final TV rating, meaning the game averaged about 10.5 million viewers, a record-setting mark for the network.
   Last summer's Richmond race, then on ESPN, pulled a 3.0 rating for the rain-delayed event, which was postponed from Saturday night till Sunday afternoon. A better comparison for the Richmond event might be the 2007 race, which ABC itself carried in 2007, pulling a 4.2 rating.
   On the other half of the Richmond weekend card, Friday's Nationwide race on ESPN2 pulled a 1.3 final national household rating. Last summer's event, rained out till Sunday, drew a 1.0 rating; in 2007, when it was run as scheduled Friday night, it earned a 1.4 rating.