NBC Sports travels to Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL course for the first cut-off race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs with three action packed days of trackside coverage this weekend in Charlotte, N.C. NBC Sports’ race coverage begins Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with the second race of the Xfinity Series Playoffs, and brings fans NASCAR Cup Series Playoff racing Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC with the first cut off race of the playoffs.
Martin Truex Jr., driver of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota, earned his second consecutive Playoff win in Richmond last weekend following his victory in Las Vegas to kick off the Playoffs. Truex Jr. leads the Playoff standings with 2,141 points, followed by Kevin Harvick (2,120 points) and Kyle Busch (2,117 points), and all three drivers have secured their spot in the Round of 12. Brad Keselowski (2,106 points) is in fourth, and Denny Hamlin (2,105 points) rounds out the top five.
Alex Bowman (2,051 points), Clint Bowyer (2,049 points), Kurt Busch (2,039 points) and Erik Jones (2,008) are currently below the cutoff for the Round of 12 heading into this weekend.
2019 MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF DRIVERS & STANDINGS:
| Drivers | Points |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 2,141 |
| Kevin Harvick | 2,120 |
| Kyle Busch | 2,117 |
| Brad Keselowski | 2,106 |
| Denny Hamlin | 2,105 |
| Joey Logano | 2,101 |
| Chase Elliott | 2,088 |
| Kyle Larson | 2,076 |
| Ryan Newman | 2,065 |
| Ryan Blaney | 2,059 |
| Aric Almirola | 2,054 |
| William Byron | 2,053 |
| Alex Bowman | 2,051 |
| Clint Bowyer | 2,049 |
| Kurt Busch | 2,039 |
| Erik Jones | 2,008 |
Drivers in bold have clinched a second-round spot Drivers in red are currently below Round of 12 cut-off | |
NASCAR CUP SERIES RACING FROM CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY – SUNDAY AT 2:30 P.M. ET ON NBC
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series begins coverage of the third Playoff race in the Round of 16 this Friday at 12 p.m. ET with first practice streaming from Charlotte Motor Speedway (airing at 2 p.m. NBCSN) followed by qualifying at 4:30 p.m. NBCSN will air a special NASCAR America Fan Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET from the Peacock Pit Box at Charlotte and will include 2019 NTT IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden, who will take a lap around the ROVAL in an Indy car. Cup Series coverage resumes Saturday with the airing of the second practice at 11 a.m. ET and final practice at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Sunday’s race-day coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET with Countdown to Green on NBC, followed by live coverage of the Bank of America Roval 400 at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
NBC Sports’ lead race announcer Rick Allen will call the action alongside 21-time Cup Series winner Jeff Burton. Daytona 500 winning crew chief Steve Letarte and two-time Daytona 500 Champion Dale Earnhardt Jr. will provide commentary from a second booth.
NBC Sports’ NASCAR pre-race host Krista Voda, auto racing icon Kyle Petty, and NBC analyst and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett will host Countdown to Green as well as post-race coverage. Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns, Marty Snider, and Rutledge Wood will provide commentary and interviews from pit-road and the grandstands. Coverage will switch over to NBCSN at 6 p.m. ET for extended post-race coverage, followed by Victory Lap at 6:30 p.m. ET hosted by Danielle Trotta with AJ Allmendinger and Parker Kligerman, who will be competing in Sunday’s race in the Gaunt Brothers Racing No. 96 Toyota and will provide analysis from the track.
RICK HENDRICK JOINS TONIGHT’S DALE JR. DOWNLOAD ON NBCSN
Today’s episode of the Dale Jr. Download will air tonight at 5 p.m. ET and features NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick of Hendrick Motorsports. The twelve-time NASCAR Cup Champion owner will discuss his rich history with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and how they’ve helped shape the careers of some of NASCAR’s biggest names. Click here to watch a preview of today’s episode.
Produced on-site at Dirty Mo Media Studios in Mooresville, N.C., the Dale Jr. Download on NBCSN takes viewers couch-side for the taping of the motorsports icon’s weekly podcast, featuring unparalleled perspective, candid commentary, and insight that fans have come to expect from Dale Jr.
XFINITY SERIES RACING FROM CHARLOTTE – SATURDAY AT 3:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBC Sports’ Xfinity Series race-day coverage from Charlotte begins Friday with streaming coverage of the first practice at 1 p.m. and the airing of the final practice at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Race day coverage begins with qualifying at 12 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports app, before switching over to NBCSN at 12:30 p.m. ET. A 30-minute edition of Countdown to Green at 3 p.m. ET will lead into live Xfinity Series Playoff racing beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Wrapping up race-day coverage, NBCSN will present a half-hour post-race show at 5:30 p.m. ET. Christopher Bell (2,115 points, and 7 wins) advanced to the Round of 8 with his victory in last week’s Playoff opener at Richmond. He is followed by Cole Custer (2,0093 points, 6 wins) and Tyler Reddick (2,071 points, 5 wins) in the standings.
SIXTEEN DIFFERENT WINNERS SPLIT $10,000 JACKPOT FOR “NASCAR PICK ‘EM” FREE-TO-PLAY GAME ON NBC SPORTS PREDICTOR APP
Sixteen NASCAR fans had perfect scores of 100 this weekend and split the $10,000 jackpot in the “NASCAR Pick ‘Em’ game. Each winner earned $661.25 each after getting perfect scores in the contest. The jackpot now resets to $10,000 for this weekend’s race at the ROVAL.
- For each race stage, pick the driver that will have the best finish from a group of four drivers.
- Then, out of the entire field, pick which drivers will finish the race in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place – in exact order.
NBC SPORTS AND NASCAR #MYTRACKMYROOTS GRASSROOTS RACING TOUR
NBC Sports and NASCAR have partnered to launch the #MyTrackMyRoots Grassroots Racing Tour – a grassroots initiative which celebrates and promotes local tracks across America that have launched the dreams and careers of NASCAR drivers and continue to cultivate a passion for racing in their local communities.
Current and former drivers from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and Gander Outdoor Truck Series have joined with NBC Sports and NASCAR to spearhead a nationwide initiative to visit and promote more than 500 local tracks across the country during the 2019 season. Click here for more details.
Following is this week’s NASCAR programming across NBC Sports:
| DATE | COVERAGE | TIME (ET) | NETWORK |
| Tuesday, Sept. 24 | Dale Jr. Download w/ Rick Hendrick | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Wednesday, Sept. 25 | NASCAR America Motormouths w/ Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Thursday, Sept. 26 | NASCAR America Motorsports Hour | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Friday, Sept. 27 | NASCAR Cup Series First Practice – Charlotte | 12 p.m. | Streaming |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series First Practice - Charlotte | 1 p.m. | Streaming | |
| NASCAR Cup Series First Practice – Charlotte | 2 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Final Practice – Charlotte | 3 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America | 4 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Charlotte | 4:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America Fan Friday w/ Josef Newgarden | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Saturday, Sept. 28 | NASCAR Cup Series Second Practice – Charlotte | 11 a.m. | Streaming |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying – Charlotte | 12 p.m. | Streaming | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying – Charlotte | 12:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – Charlotte | 2 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green | 3 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Charlotte | 3:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASAR Xfinity Series Post-Race Show | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sunday, Sept. 28 | NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green | 1:30 p.m. | NBC |
| NASCAR Cup Series Race – Charlotte | 2:30 p.m. | NBC | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show | 5:30 p.m. | NBC | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Extended Post-Race Coverage | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Victory Lap | 6:30 p.m. | NBCSN |
NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR COVERAGE
The official home of the NASCAR Playoffs, NBC Sports will present the final 20 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, and select NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events in 2019. NBC Sports’ NASCAR programming also includes NBCSN’s daily motorsports show NASCAR America, coverage of NASCAR’s Awards Ceremonies, the annual NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony, as well as original programming specials.
NBC Sports PR
