NASCAR on FOX continued to trend ahead of last year, though the numbers are still low historically.

NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Las Vegas drew a 4.6 final rating and 7.7 million viewers on FOX last Sunday, up 2% in ratings and 7% in viewership from last year (4.5, 7.2M) and down 2% and up 3%, respectively, from 2013 (4.7, 7.5M).

All five NASCAR on FOX telecasts this season, including the Sprint Unlimited and Daytona Pole Qualifying, have had year-over-year increases in both ratings and viewership. That is a sharp turnaround from last season, when every NASCAR on FOX telecast had a decline in ratings, and all-but-one had a decline in viewership.

Though up from last year, Sunday’s 4.6 rating still ranks as the fourth-lowest in the history of the Las Vegas race (dates back to 1998) — ahead of only last year, 2010 (4.4) and 2000 (4.0). Viewership was the fourth-lowest since at least 2001 (viewership prior to 2002 was not available).

As usual, NASCAR on FOX was easily the highest rated and most-watched sporting event of the weekend on any network, cruising ahead of the second-place Duke/North Carolina college basketball game on ESPN (2.6, 4.2M).

(Wknd. numbers via Sports Business Daily)