A bad year for NASCAR’s ratings continued last weekend. The Sprint Cup race from Chicago on Sunday drew just 3.2 million viewers, which is the lowest total for a non-rain delayed Chase race since 2004.

Last year’s Chicago Chase race on ESPN drew 3.7 million viewers, and the rain-delayed 2013 race drew 2.7 million.

Now, there is an easy explanation for this – NBCSN isn’t ESPN, which aired all of the Chase last season. But in an era when NBCSN is posting solid numbers for soccer and hockey, and Fox Sports 1 is doing decently enough with their big events throughout the year, that argument doesn’t fly too well.

15 races this season have aired on cable. All have tanked considerably, to the tune of record low viewership numbers or the ugly “least watched in a decade” tag. The networks are airing more coverage of NASCAR and its related events than ever before, and the ratings are still struggling – that’s really not a great sign.

There are nine races left this year in the Chase. Four air on cable (including tomorrow’s New Hampshire race) and five air on NBC’s broadcast network. All but one will air on Sunday, head to head with the still dominant NFL. These poor ratings look likely to continue as the Chase rolls right along.

[Sports Media Watch]