TV Ratings: Richmond no match for 'Battle at Bristol'

The good news for motorsports viewers is Saturday night's action at Bristol Motor Speedway got plenty of eyeballs. The bad news: The "Battle at Bristol" between Virginia Tech and Tennessee was direct competition to Saturday night's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond.

The Sprint Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 from Richmond – the race that determined the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup lineup – drew a 1.5 overnight rating on NBCSN, down 12 percent from last year and 44 percent from the ABC broadcast two years ago. According to Sports Media Watch, the 1.5 overnight rating is the lowest Sprint Cup race rating of the season. The race aired opposite Virginia Tech/Tennessee at Bristol, which drew a 3.8 overnight rating – the highest-rated game of the weekend in metered markets – but was down 24 percent from last year's "Saturday Night Football" matchup between Oregon and Michigan State (5.0).

While its rating was lower than last year (1.79), the race was the most-watched cable sports TV program, beating out Arkansas/TCU in the same time slot.