The Daytona 500 was a huge hit in primetime last night, averaging an estimated 14.24 million viewers for FOX. That’s a huge bump for FOX from their usual Monday programming. Might this finally convince FOX to get into sports broadcasting? Only time will tell! Via HitFix:

Overall, FOX averaged an estimated 14.24 million viewers for Monday primetime, along with an 8.2 rating/12 share. NBC’s 7.3/11 and 12.13 million viewers followed, with CBS averaging 10.01 million viewers and a 6.3/10 to finish third. ABC’s 5.6/9 and 8.34 million viewers finished fourth. Then there was a big drop to the 0.9/1 and 1.28 million viewers for The CW.

Despite dominating the evening, the news wasn’t all positive. Daytona’s ratings were actually down from last year’s race which took place (as scheduled) on a Sunday afternoon. So is NASCAR in a decline after a couple strong years? Or do people just love 2 and a Half Men that much? FOX’s numbers steadily declined last night as the evening wore on. My guess? It’s easier to maintain a steady number when a race takes it’s three scheduled hours instead of stretching into the wee hours of the next day.