FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 16th, 2015
NBCSN KICKS OFF THE 2015 NASCAR PLAYOFFS FROM CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY THIS WEEKEND
NBC Sports Presents 18 Hours of Coverage from Chicagoland Speedway Highlighted by NASCAR XFINITY Series Racing Saturday at 6 p.m. ET, and Sunday’s Sprint Cup Race at 3 p.m. ET
Sprint Cup Chase Driver Jamie McMurray Joins NBCSN Broadcast Team to Call Saturday’s XFINITY Race
NBC Sports Premieres Updated Chase Version of Blake Shelton’s “Bringing Back the Sunshine” Open
Rutledge Wood Breaks Down the NASCAR Playoff Round of 16 in NBC Sports’ Video Campaign
Fans Can Win Big with Quicken Loans $16M Perfect Grid Challenge as 16 Drivers Battle over 10 Playoff Races
Formula One Heads “Under the Lights” with Nighttime Singapore Grand Prix this Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – September 16, 2015 – NBCSN gears up for the NASCAR playoffs with a double feature of racing from Chicagoland Speedway this weekend. Chicagoland marks the first of the final 10 races for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and the first of the final eight races for the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Saturday’s primetime showdown begins at 6 p.m. ET with XFINITY Series Racing from Chicagoland on NBCSN. The weekend’s main event unfolds Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Sprint Cup Racing from Chicagoland Presented by AFibRisk.com 400.
NBCSN welcomes Sprint Cup Chase driver Jamie McMurray to the broadcasting booth this weekend. McMurray will join announcer Rick Allen and Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte as an analyst during Saturday night’s XFINITY race. “I’m looking forward to the opportunity to work with the NBC Sports Network team for the NASCAR XFINITY Series race in Chicago,” said McMurray. “It will be interesting for me to see a race from that vantage point. I hope that I can add an interesting perspective to the race and have some fun.”
Dave Burns will announce XFINITY practice and qualifying alongside analysts Kyle Petty and Dale Jarrett. NBCSN’s booth team of 21-time Sprint Cup winner Jeff Burton, analyst Letarte and announcer Allen will call the Sprint Cup action. Krista Voda alongside analysts Petty and Jarrett handle pre- and post-race festivities from Chicagoland. Marty Snider, Mike Massaro, Kelli Stavast and Burns contribute reports from pit road. NBCSports.com lead motorsports writer Nate Ryan and features reporter Rutledge Wood contribute to NBCSN’s coverage.
NBCSN’s coverage from the “Windy City” kicks off Thursday with a special NASCAR America at 4:30 p.m. ET live from Chase Fest, NASCAR’s annual celebration in downtown Chicago. NASCAR’s 16 playoff drivers will make live appearances throughout the hour and half long show.
NBCSN’s coverage from the speedway begins Friday with the Sprint Cup Series first practice presented by DraftKings at 12:30 p.m. ET and the XFINITY Series final practice at 2 p.m. ET. Sprint Cup qualifying from the mile-and-a-half track wraps up the day at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Saturday coverage kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET on CNBC with the Sprint Cup Series second practice, immediately followed by XFINITY Series qualifying on NBCSN at 2:45 p.m. ET. A thirty-minute NASCAR America begins at 4 p.m. ET on NBCSN before the final Sprint Cup practice at 4:30 p.m. ET. Countdown to Green kicks into high gear at 5:30 p.m. ET, followed by green flag XFINITY Series Racing from Chicagoland at 6 p.m. ET.
Sunday’s Sprint Cup coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET with NASCAR America Sunday presented by Draftkings followed by Countdown to Green at 2:30 p.m. ET. NASCAR’s first 2015 playoff race goes green at 3 p.m. ET. NBCSN continues its coverage after the checkered flag with a post-race show live from the track. The weekend of NASCAR racing wraps up with an earlier edition of NASCAR Victory Lap at 7 p.m. ET.
During last Saturday’s pivotal twilight race, 16 Sprint Cup drivers punched their ticket to the playoffs. Throughout the weekend, NBCSN will take a closer look at each driver’s story before they face off Sunday. NBC Sports will also premiere an updated Chase version of Blake Shelton’s “Bringing Back the Sunshine” open. Fresh faces and updated footage from the track will get viewers geared up for NASCAR Sprint Cup playoff action.
RUTLEDGE WOOD BREAKS DOWN THE NASCAR PLAYOFF ROUND OF 16 IN NBC SPORTS’ VIDEO CAMPAIGN
NBC Sports Group tapped motorsports reporter Rutledge Wood to drive humorous video explanations of NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff system. Developed by NBC Sports Agency, the “Challenger” video breaks down the first playoff round of 16. Check out Rutledge’s explanation here.
FANS CAN WIN BIG WITH QUICKEN LOANS $16M PERFECT GRID CHALLENGE AS 16 DRIVERS BATTLE OVER 10 PLAYOFF RACES
Fans have an opportunity to compete in a championship of their own by filling out a grid in Quicken Loans $16 Million Perfect Grid Challenge, as well as the Weekly Playoff Grid Challenge. Participants can predict how the 16 drivers will advance through each round of the Chase at NBCSports.com/GridChallenge. Fans are able to make their Perfect Grid picks until 2:45 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 20, 15 minutes before NBCSN’S broadcast of the Sprint Cup Race at Chicagoland. More information about the Perfect Grid and the Weekly Playoff Grid Challenge available here.
FORMULA ONE HEADS “UNDER THE LIGHTS” WITH NIGHTTIME SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX THIS SUNDAY AT 7:30 A.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBC Sports Group takes its 2015 Formula One coverage “under the lights” this weekend with live coverage of the nighttime Singapore Grand Prix, airing live on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET on NBCSN, highlighting more than 50 hours of motorsports coverage on NBCSN and CNBC this weekend.
This week’s motorsports action includes NASCAR XFINITY and Sprint Cup Series races from Chicagoland and an all-new episode of Mobsteel tonight at 10 p.m. ET on NBCSN, featuring former NFL Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. In addition, this week’s Mecum Auctions coverage from Dallas on NBCSN will be highlighted by a Richard Petty Motorsports 2015 Ford Mustang GT, with 100 percent of the proceeds benefitting the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA).
| Date | Program | Time (ET) | Network |
| Wed., September 16 | Mobsteel (Encore) | 8 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Mobsteel (Encore) | 9 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mobsteel (New Episode) | 10 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Thur., September 17 | NASCAR America | 4:30 p.m. | NBCSN |
| NASCAR K&N Pro Series East – Richmond** | 7 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mecum Auctions: Dallas* | 8 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Fri., September 18 | Global RallyCross (Encore) | 12 a.m. | NBCSN |
| F1 Singapore Grand Prix – Practice 1 | 6 a.m. | NBC Sports Live Extra | |
| F1 Singapore Grand Prix – Practice 2 | 9:30 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sprint Cup Series First Practice – Chicago | 12:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| XFINITY Series Final Practice – Chicago | 2 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mecum Auctions: Dallas | 4:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sprint Cup Series Qualifying – Chicago | 6:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mecum Auctions: Dallas* | 8 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sat., September 19 | F1 Singapore Grand Prix – Practice 3 | 6 a.m. | NBC Sports Live Extra |
| F1 Singapore Grand Prix – Qualifying | 8 a.m. | CNBC | |
| Sprint Cup Series Second Practice – Chicago | 1:30 p.m. | CNBC | |
| XFINITY Series Qualifying – Chicago | 2:45 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America | 4 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sprint Cup Series Final Practice – Chicago | 4:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| XFINITY Countdown to Green Pre-Race Show | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| XFINITY Series Race – Chicago | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mecum Auctions: Dallas* | 8:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sun., September 20 | F1 Singapore Grand Prix – Qualifying (Encore) | 1:30 a.m. | NBCSN |
| F1 Singapore Grand Prix | 7:30 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| F1 Extra | 10 a.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America Sunday | 1:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sprint Cup Countdown to Green Pre-Race Show | 2:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sprint Cup Series Race – Chicago | 3 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sprint Cup Series Post Race Show | 6:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Victory Lap | 7 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mobsteel (Encore) | 8 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Mecum Auctions: Dallas* | 9 p.m. | NBCSN |
**Taped
*Same Day Delay
MOTORSPORTS ON NBC SPORTS LIVE EXTRA
NBC Sports Live Extra – NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs – will stream this week’s NASCAR and IndyCar coverage via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play and Windows Store, Roku Channel Store and Apple TV.
NASCAR COVERAGE ON NBCSPORTS.com and NASCARTALK
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To explore the site, please visit NBCSports.com/NASCAR and NASCARTalk.NBCSports.com/
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@NASCARonNBC: @NASCARonNBC The official Twitter account of NASCAR coverage on NBC and NBCSN provides exclusive access to drivers, NBC Sports NASCAR experts and behind-the-scenes content, as well up-to-the-minute news and highlights, including video and articles from MotorSportsTalk on NBCSports.com.
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