NASCAR fans are depicted as being fairly smart; it is only Cartman's stereotypical impersonation of the NASCAR community that casts them in a negative light. Reception Ratings In its original American broadcast on October 6, 2010, "Poor and Stupid" was watched by 3.139 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the second most watched cable television show of the night, losing the number one spot to the baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Minnesota Twins during the 2010 American League Division Series. The episode received a 2.0 rating/4 share, meaning it was seen by 2 percent of the population and 4 percent of the people watching television at the time of its broadcast. Among adult viewers between ages 18 and 49, the episode scored a 1.8 rating/5 share and among male viewers between ages 18 and 34, the episode received a 3.8 rating/12 share. Critical response "Poor and Stupid" received mixed reviews. The A.V. Club gave the episode a B− rating. IGN gave the episode a score of 7 out of 10. Reviewer Ramsey Isler described the episode as "docile" by South Park standards and asserted that the episode lacks the show's "signature style of biting ridicule". Despite some winning one-liners and sight gags he considered the episode among the weaker episodes of the season so far and hoped for more in future episodes. Brad Trechak of TV Squad said that, while the episode had some humorous moments, the episode "doesn't feel like Matt [Stone] and Trey [Parker] at their best", and criticized the satire as "not [being] the sort of sharp social satire we would expect from South Park." Writing for The Yorker, Simon Cocks wrote that the episode turned out to be "reliable yet ultimately disappointing". Merrill Barr of Film School Rejects was more positive, calling "Poor and Stupid" a "fine episode of South Park". None of the NASCAR drivers lampooned in "Poor and Stupid" were reported to be offended by their depiction in the episode. Driver Jeff Gordon said that he thought, although the episode was making fun of NASCAR, it was still good publicity for the sport. In January 2018, Danica Patrick appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience and said she felt "honored" to be parodied in the episode, and that it was one of the first instances when she felt she "made it." Home media "Poor and Stupid", along with