NBC Sports coverage of 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continue from Richmond Raceway this Saturday at 7:30 P.M. ET on NBCSN

NBC Sports accelerates into the second race of the 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Round of 16, with more than 12 hours of trackside coverage this week from Richmond Raceway, in Richmond, Va. NBC Sports’ race coverage begins Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with the first race of the Xfinity Series Playoffs, and culminates Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with racing from the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Round of 16.

Following his fifth victory of the 2019 season this past Sunday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Martin Truex Jr., driver of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 19 Toyota, officially clinched a spot in the Round of 12 and took over the lead of the Playoff standings with 2,082 points. Of the remaining 15 Playoff drivers, Kevin Harvick (2,079 points) is in second, followed by Joey Logano (2,075 points) in third, Kyle Busch (2,063 points) in fourth, and Brad Keselowski (2,058 points) rounding out the top five.

2019 MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF DRIVERS & STANDINGS:

Drivers Points
Martin Truex Jr. 2,082
Kevin Harvick 2,079
Joey Logano 2,075
Kyle Busch 2,063
Brad Keselowski 2,058
Chase Elliott 2,057
Denny Hamlin 2,056
Kyle Larson 2,044
William Byron 2,040
Ryan Blaney 2,039
Alex Bowman 2,037
Aric Almirola 2,033
Ryan Newman 2,027
Kurt Busch 2,019
Clint Bowyer 2,012
Erik Jones 2,007
Drivers in red are currently below Round of 12 cutoff

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES RACING FROM RICHMOND RACEWAY – SATURDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBCSN begins coverage of the second Playoff race in the Round of 16 this Friday at 11:30 a.m. ET with first practice live from Richmond Raceway. Final practice begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. An on-site edition of NASCAR America, at 5:30 p.m. ET, leads into qualifying at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

Saturday’s race-day coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET with NASCAR America live from the Peacock Pit Box on pit road followed by Countdown to Green at 7 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Live coverage of the Federated Auto Parts 400 begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Wrapping up race-day coverage, NBCSN will present a one-hour post-race show at 11 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage on NBCSN will be highlighted by a #MyTrackMyRoots Grassroots Racing feature on racing in Virginia voiced by Virginia-native Denny Hamlin.

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 NASCAR America as well as all pre- and post-race coverage. Kelli Stavast, Dave Burns, Dillon Welch and Parker Kligerman will provide commentary and interviews from pit-road. Following race-day coverage from Richmond, the NBCSN original series Proving Grounds, hosted by NBCSN’s own Parker Kligerman, will air at 12 a.m. ET.

RON HORNADAY JR. JOINS TONIGHT’S DALE JR. DOWNLOAD ON NBCSN

Today’s episode of the Dale Jr. Download will air tonight at 5 p.m. ET,  9 p.m. ET and midnight ET on NBCSN and features NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Ron Hornaday Jr. The four-time NASCAR Truck Series champion will discuss his unique relationship with Dale Earnhardt and some of the grudges he still holds over how his racing career ended. 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 RICHMOND – FRIDAY AT 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBC Sports’ Xfinity Series race-day coverage from Richmond begins Friday with final practice at 9:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by qualifying beginning at 5 p.m. ET. A 30-minute edition of Countdown to Green at 7 p.m. ET leads into live Xfinity Series Playoff racing beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Wrapping up race-day coverage, NBCSN will present a half-hour post-race show at 9:30 p.m. ET. Christopher Bell (2,055 points, and 6 wins) is currently atop the Xfinity Series Playoff standings, followed by Cole Custer (2,044 points, 6 wins) and Tyler Reddick (2,044 points, 5 wins) as 12 drivers will begin the seven-race Playoffs in Richmond.

TWELVE DIFFERENT WINNERS SPLIT $50,000 JACKPOT FOR “NASCAR PICK ‘EM” FREE-TO-PLAY GAME ON NBC SPORTS PREDICTOR APP

More than 50,000 people participated in last week’s NBC Sports NASCAR Pick ‘Em game at Las Vegas last week and 12 winners split the $50,000 jackpot, earning $4,213.33 each after getting perfect scores in the contest. The jackpot now resets to $10,000 for this weekend’s race in Richmond.

  • 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. 17
Dale Jr. Download w/ Ron Hornaday Jr.
5 p.m., 9 p.m., 12 a.m.
NBCSN
Wednesday, Sept. 18
NASCAR America
5 p.m.
NBCSN
Thursday, Sept. 19
NASCAR America
5 p.m.
NBCSN
Friday, Sept. 20
NASCAR Xfinity Series Final Practice – Richmond
9:30 a.m.
NBCSN
 
NASCAR Cup Series First Practice – Richmond
11:30 a.m.
NBCSN
 
NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – Richmond
1:30 p.m.
NBCSN
 
NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying – Richmond
5 p.m.
NBCSN
 
NASCAR America
5:30 p.m.
NBCSN
 
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Richmond
6 p.m.
NBCSN
 
NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green
7 p.m.
NBCSN
 
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Richmond
7:30 p.m.
NBCSN
 
NASCAR Xfinity Series Post-Race Show
9:30 p.m.
NBCSN
Saturday, Sept. 21
NASCAR America
6 p.m.
NBCSN
 
NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green
7 p.m.
NBCSN
 
NASCAR Cup Series Race – Richmond
7:30 p.m.
NBCSN
 
NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show
11 p.m.
NBCSN
 
Proving Grounds
12 a.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