Sports

With Danica starting from pole, Daytona 500's preliminary TV rating up big from last year

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Danica Patrick, center, prepares to get in her car before the start of the NASCAR Daytona 500 Sprint Cup Series auto race at Daytona International Speedway, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Terry Renna) (The Associated Press)

Jimmie Johnson holds up his trophy next to his wife Chandra, right, after winning the Daytona 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Terry Renna) (The Associated Press)

With Danica Patrick starting from the pole, the Daytona 500's preliminary television ratings are much higher than last year's.

Sunday afternoon's race earned a 10.0 overnight rating and 22 share on Fox. That's up 30 percent from 2012, when rain pushed the event to a Monday night. The network said Monday it was the highest overnight rating since 2006.

Jimmie Johnson won the race while Patrick was eighth, the best finish by a woman at the Daytona 500.

Ratings represent the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned to a program. Shares represent the percentage of all homes with TVs in use at the time. Overnight ratings measure the country's largest markets.