The 2014 Daytona 500 was NOT a primetime TV hit

   According to updated fast national ratings from The Nielsen Company, the Sunday night rain-delayed completion of the 2014 Daytona 500 on Fox - which began about 8:30 p.m. ET - drew an average of 9.3 million viewers.

   Dale Earnhardt Jr. captured his second career Daytona 500 victory in the event.

   The audience number is 44 percent lower than the 2013 Daytona 500, which was run on schedule in the afternoon (16.7 million viewers).

   The audience number is also 32 percent lower than the 2012 Daytona 500, which was also rain-delayed and run in primetime on Monday night (13.7 million viewers).

   The top five ranked markets were: Greensboro, N.C. (17.5 rating/26 share), Orlando, Fla. (13.2/21), Greenville, S.C. (13.0/20), Richmond, Va. (12.0/18) and Jacksonville, Fla. (11.8/18).

   The 2014 Daytona 500 experienced nearly a 6.5 hour rain delay, the longest in the event's history. In 2012, the reschedule primetime event received advance promotion since NASCAR rescheduled the event well in advance.

   NASCAR did see big year-to-year increases in discussion of the 2014 race on digital and social platforms, as well as a record traffic day on NASCAR.com.