IndyCar’s season opener could not match last year’s stronger-than-usual performance. In other news, NASCAR’s Xfinity Series held mostly steady at Las Vegas, and the NHL on NBC has yet to crack a 1.0 rating for an indoor game this season.

Last Sunday’s IndyCar Series opener from St. Petersburg scored a 0.8 final rating and 1.2 million viewers on ABC, down 20% in ratings and 14% in viewership from last year (1.0, 1.4M) but up a third and 35% respectively from coverage opposite the NCAA Tournament in 2015 (0.6, 891K). It was IndyCar’s second-largest audience at St. Petersburg since 2012, with the caveat that the race aired either on cable or opposite the NCAA Tournament from 2010-15. Head-to-head, the race beat competing NHL coverage on NBC (0.7, 1.1M).

NASCAR Xfinity Series racing from Las Vegas had a 1.0 final rating and 1.6 million viewers on Fox Sports 1 last Saturday afternoon, flat in ratings and down a fraction of a percent in viewership (1.623M to 1.620M) compared to last year, and down 17% and 15% respectively from 2015 (1.2, 1.9M).

Wild-Blackhawks had a 0.7 final rating and 1.1 million viewers on the NHL on NBC last Sunday, down 22% in ratings and 8% in viewership from Red Wings-Bruins in 2015 (0.9, 1.2M). There was no comparable window last year. Excluding the NHL All-Star Game, all ten indoor games on NBC this season have failed to crack a 1.0 rating. Later in the night, Rangers-Red Wings had a 0.3 (flat) and 443,000 (+20%) on NBCSN. Shifting to the workweek, Penguins-Flyers scored 631,000 on NBCSN’s Wednesday Night Rivalry (-15%), the Red Wings-Avalanche nightcap had 213,000, Blackhawks-Canadiens had 265,000 on Tuesday (+24%) and Hurricanes-Islanders brought up the rear with 153,000 on Monday (-7%).

(Wknd. numbers from ESPN, ShowBuzz Daily 3.17, 3.16a, 3.16b, 3.16c)