The Ford 400 race, held at Homestead, Miami, was up 18 percent on the previous year, earning a Nielsen Media overnight rating of 4.5 with a nine percent share of audience.
The viewing figures were boosted by the fact that this year was the first time the outcome of the Winston Cup has gone right down to the final race of the season since 1997.
The last race of this year's NASCAR Winston Cup series performed admirably for host broadcaster NBC.
