Fox Networks’ decision to pay $1.6 billion for rights to NASCAR has paid off, Variety reports. The final Nielsen numbers for the first six months of 2001 has exceeded the network’s expectations. The Winston Cup races averaged 19.9 million viewers on Fox compared with 18.9 million for the same period last year on ABC and CBS. Ed Goren, president and executive producer of Fox Sports, said in a statement that unified cross-promotion, Dale Earnhardt’s death on Feb. 18 in Daytona Beach, Fla. and flashy visuals all played a role in NASCAR’s banner year in the Nielsens.
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