NBC Sports hits the next stop in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs this weekend at Richmond Raceway with live coverage of the Federated Auto Parts 400 on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Kevin Harvick continued his dominant season with a win at Darlington last Sunday, securing a spot in the Round of 12. Harvick has a series-high 8 wins and 2,106 points heading into the second race of the 2020 Cup Series Playoffs. Denny Hamlin (2,087 points), Joey Logano (2,060 points), Brad Keselowski (2,055 points) and Alex Bowman (2,052 points) round out the top 5 in the field.
A victory on Saturday for any Playoff-eligible driver besides Harvick will clinch them a spot in the Round of 12.
2020 NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF STANDINGS – ENTERING RICHMOND:
Drivers |
Points |
Kevin Harvick |
2,106 |
Denny Hamlin |
2,087 |
Joey Logano |
2,060 |
Brad Keselowski |
2,055 |
Alex Bowman |
2,052 |
Martin Truex Jr. |
2,049 |
Chase Elliott |
2,045 |
Austin Dillon |
2,043 |
William Byron |
2,042 |
Kyle Busch |
2,040 |
Kurt Busch |
2,037 |
Aric Almirola |
2,033 |
Clint Bowyer |
2,033 |
Cole Custer |
2,030 |
Matt DiBenedetto |
2,016 |
Ryan Blaney |
2,016 |
NASCAR CUP SERIES RACING FROM RICHMOND – SATURDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Saturday’s coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Countdown to Green followed by the green flag at 7:30 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports’ NASCAR pre-race host Krista Voda, auto racing icon Kyle Petty, and NBC analyst Brad Daugherty will host Countdown to Green, as well as the NASCAR America Post-Race Show.
NBC Sports’ lead NASCAR race announcer Rick Allen, 21-time Cup Series race winner and “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton, two-time Daytona 500 Champion and recent NASCAR Hall of Fame selection Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte will call Stage 1 and the Final Stage of Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race from the broadcast booth at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C.
Dave Burns, Marty Snider, and Parker Kligerman will serve as pit reporters on-site from Richmond.
XFINITY SERIES DOUBLEHEADER FROM RICHMOND – FRIDAY AT 7 P.M. AND SATURDAY AT 2 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Coverage of the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ doubleheader weekend from Richmond begins Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Countdown to Green, leading up to racing at 7 p.m. ET. Saturday’s coverage begins on NBCSN at 1:30 p.m. ET with Countdown to Green followed by racing at 2 p.m. ET. With three races left before the Xfinity Series Playoffs, Austin Cindric continues to lead the regular season standings with 5 wins and 1,005 points, ahead of Chase Briscoe (series-high 6 wins, 951 points) and third-place Ross Chastain (0 wins, 911 points).
Rick Allen, Steve Letarte and Brad Daugherty will call Friday’s Xfinity race on NBC. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will lead Saturday’s “All Driver” broadcast booth alongside Jeff Burton and Dale Jarrett.
2020 PIT CREW ALL-STARS TO BE RECOGNIZED DURING NASCAR PLAYOFFS
During the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, NBC Sports will salute this year’s Pit Crew All-Stars. This group of unsung heroes – 16 in all, matching the 16 Playoff drivers – comes from the ranks of over-the-wall crew members, engineers, shop employees, hauler drivers, and/or team officials. Throughout the Playoffs, NBC will showcase the All-Stars’ stories, and what makes them and their abilities so special.
ERNIE IRVAN FEATURED GUEST ON DALE JR. DOWNLOAD TODAY AT 6 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
Today’s episode of the Dale Jr. Download will air tonight at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN, featuring a memorable conversation with former driver Ernie Irvan. The episode will re-air on Friday at 10:30 p.m. ET and on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, leading into NASCAR Xfinity Series coverage.
Irvan won the 1991 Daytona 500, but is best remembered for one of the great comebacks in NASCAR history. On Aug. 20, 1994, Irvan was severely injured in a practice crash at Michigan International Speedway and was only given a 10 percent chance to live. Miraculously, Irvan pulled through and following extensive rehab, he returned to racing late in the 1995 season. On July 14, 1996, nearly two years after his accident, Irvan completed his comeback with a victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
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.
HONDA INDY 200 AT MID-OHIO – RACE 1 SATURDAY AT 4:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN; RACE 2 SUNDAY AT 1 P.M. ET ON NBC
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will host a doubleheader this weekend following INDYCAR’s latest racing action from World Wide Technology Raceway on Aug. 29-30. Five-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing, 416 points) added to his season points standings lead following his victory in Race 1 at Gateway – the 50th of his career – while reigning champion Josef Newgarden (Team Penske, 320 points) was victorious in Race 2 of the doubleheader and remained second in the points standings. Dixon took the checkered flag at Mid-Ohio last year and has won at the track six times in his career.
The weekend’s coverage from Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will begin with practice on Saturday at 10:45 a.m. ET exclusively on NBC Sports Gold’s INDYCAR Pass. A 30-minute qualifying session, also on INDYCAR Pass, will be presented at 2 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, before the green flag waves around 5 p.m. ET.
Qualifying for the second race of the weekend doubleheader begins Sunday at 10:15 a.m. ET exclusively on INDYCAR Pass. Race 2 on Sunday will be presented live during a two-hour window on NBC, beginning at 1 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports’ lead INDYCAR commentary team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play), Townsend Bell (analyst), and 2003 Mid-Ohio race winner Paul Tracy (analyst) will call both races alongside James Hinchcliffe and Kelli Stavast, who will report from the pits in Lexington, Ohio.
MOTOGP SAN MARINO GRAND PRIX – SUNDAY AT 4:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The 2020 MotoGP season continues on Sunday with the San Marino Grand Prix from Misano World Circuit at 4:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo continues to lead the points standings after five races. KTM Tech3 rider Miguel Oliveira earned the first MotoGP win of his career in a thrilling finish at the Grand Prix of Styria on Aug. 23, when he passed two riders on the final corner of the race.
Following is this week’s NASCAR programming across NBC Sports:
DATE |
COVERAGE |
TIME (ET) |
NETWORK |
Wed., September 9 |
Dale Jr. Download with Ernie Irvan |
6 p.m. |
NBCSN |
Fri., September 11 |
Xfinity Series – Countdown to Green |
6:30 p.m. |
NBCSN |
NASCAR Xfinity Series Racing – Richmond |
7 p.m. |
NBCSN |
|
Xfinity Series Post Race |
9 p.m. |
NBCSN |
|
Dale Jr. Download with Ernie Irvan |
10:30 p.m. |
NBCSN |
|
Sat., September 12 |
Dale Jr. Download with Ernie Irvan |
12:30 p.m. |
NBCSN |
Xfinity Series – Countdown to Green |
1:30 p.m. |
NBCSN |
|
NASCAR Xfinity Series Racing – Richmond #2 |
2 p.m. |
NBCSN |
|
INDYCAR Pre-Race |
4:30 p.m. |
NBCSN |
|
INDYCAR Mid-Ohio #1 |
5 p.m. |
NBCSN |
|
Cup Series – Countdown to Green |
7 p.m. |
NBCSN |
|
NASCAR Cup Series Racing – Richmond |
7:30 p.m. |
NBCSN |
|
NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race |
11 p.m. |
NBCSN |
|
Proving Grounds |
11:30 p.m. |
NBCSN |
|
Sun., September 13 |
INDYCAR – Mid Ohio #2 |
1:00 p.m. |
NBC |
NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR COVERAGE
NBC Sports is the official home of the 2020 NASCAR Playoffs, covering the race for the NASCAR Cup Series & NASCAR Xfinity Series championships. NBC Sports’ NASCAR programming also includes NBCSN’s daily motorsports show, NASCAR America; races from NASCAR’s regional touring series; annual events such as the NASCAR Cup Series Awards and NASCAR Hall of Fame induction ceremony; and original programming specials.
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