DOVER, Del. – Kurt Busch credits promotion from the IndyCar Series for the ratings bump in the Indianapolis 500.
ABC's telecast earned a 3.9 rating, up from 3.7 in 2013, and ratings were up in many traditional NASCAR markets.
That could be attributed to Busch's running both the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day. He finished sixth in his Indy debut, but an engine failure prevented him from completing all 1,100 miles.
The NASCAR race on Fox earned a 4.1 rating, making it the most-watched sports program of last weekend. It was down from a 4.3 in 2013.
Busch on Friday praised IndyCar's nationwide promotional tour of the Indy 500, but said his goal in doing The Double was to "create awareness for motorsports and the military."