FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2018

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF RACING RETURNS TO DOVER’S “MONSTER MILE” THIS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7 AT 2 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

NBC Sports Presents Xfinity Series Round of 12 Elimination Race from Dover International Speedway this Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN

 

Joey Logano Joins NASCAR America “Wednesdays with Dale Jr.” Tonight at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN

 

First Woman to Win NASCAR K&N Series, Hailie Deegan, Joins NBCSports’ Monday Morning Donuts Podcast

 

STAMFORD, Conn.October 3, 2018 – NBC Sports Group’s presentation of the 2018 NASCAR Playoffs continues this week with more than 15 hours of trackside coverage from Dover International Speedway. Race coverage from the “Monster Mile” begins Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN with Xfinity Series racing, and culminates Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN with the Gander Outdoors 400, the first race in the Cup Series Round of 12.

 

Following last Sunday’s eventful Cup Series race at the Charlotte ROVAL, Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, ranks atop the Round of 12 drivers with 3,055 points, followed by Kevin Harvick (3,050 points), Martin Truex Jr. (3,038 points) and Brad Keselowski (3,025 points). Four Playoff contenders, including seven-time Champion Jimmie Johnson, were eliminated last week after failing to earn enough points to advance.

 

MONSTER ENERGY NASCAR CUP SERIES RACING FROM DOVER INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY – SUNDAY AT 2 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

 

NBCSN kicks off its Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Round of 12 coverage from Dover International Speedway this Friday at 11 a.m. ET with first practice. Qualifying follows at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app and select NBC Sports Regional Networks. An encore presentation of qualifying is available at 5:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Saturday’s coverage begins at 11 a.m. ET on CNBC with second practice, followed by a special 30-minute edition of NASCAR America at 1 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Final practice wraps up the day at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

 

Sunday’s race day coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, with NBC Sports Group’s pre-race show, Countdown to Green. NASCAR Cup Series racing begins at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, and is followed by a live on-site post-race show. NBCSN wraps up coverage at 6 p.m. ET, with Victory Lap, NBC Sports Group’s NASCAR post-race show originating from Stamford, Conn.

 

NBC Sports’ lead race announcer Rick Allen (@Rickallenracing) will pair with NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) to call the action from NBC Sports’ traditional broadcast booth above the start/finish line. Daytona 500 winning crew chief Steve Letarte (@steveletarte) will be teamed with “The Mayor” of NASCAR Jeff Burton (@Jeffburton), to contribute deep-dive analysis, from NBC Sports’ second booth.

 

Krista Voda (@KristaVoda) will host pre- and post-race coverage alongside auto racing icon Kyle Petty (@Kylepetty), and Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett (@DaleJarrett). Marty Snider (@HeyMartysnider), Kelli Stavast (@Kellistavast) and Dave Burns (@tvdaveburns) will report from pit road.

 

XFINITY SERIES COVERAGE FROM DOVER – SATURDAY AT 3 P.M. ET ON NBCSN

 

NBCSN’s Xfinity Series Round of 12 coverage from Dover begins Friday, with practice at noon ET and 2:30 p.m. ET. Saturday’s coverage begins with qualifying at noon ET on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app. NBCSN picks up qualifying coverage at 12:30 p.m. ET. Pre-race Countdown to Green coverage starts at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by live green flag racing at 3 p.m. ET.

 

Entering this weekend’s Round of 12 elimination race, rookie driver Christopher Bell, driver of Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota, is the only driver set for the Round of 8 with his win at Richmond two weeks ago. Bell is followed by Daniel Hemric (2,099 points) and Tyler Reddick (2,090 points). Austin Cindric, Ryan Truex, Ryan Reed and Brandon Jones currently fall below the cut line and face potential elimination this weekend in Dover.

 

JOEY LOGANO JOINS TONIGHT’S NASCAR AMERICA “WEDNESDAYS WITH DALE JR.”

 

NASCAR America “Wednesdays with Dale Jr.,” NBCSN’s weekly motorsports show featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr., welcomes Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoff driver Joey Logano, as a guest tonight at 5 p.m. ET on NBCSN.

 

Live from NBC Sports’ NASCAR studio in Charlotte, N.C., Logano, driver of Team Penske’s No. 22 Ford, joins Rutledge Wood (@Rutledgewood) and Kyle Petty for an in-depth discussion and free-flowing conversation.

 

NBC SPORTS’ WEEKLY NASCAR PODCAST MONDAY MORNING DONUTS RETURNS & FEATURES INTERVIEW WITH HAILIE DEEGAN

 

Monday Morning Donuts, NBC Sports’ weekly NASCAR podcast hosted by Carolyn Manno (@carolynmanno) returns for the 2018 Playoffs. This week’s episode features an interview with 17-year-old Hailie Deegan, who made history this past weekend when she became the first woman to win in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Fans can watch Deegan take the checkered flag at Meridian Speedway in Idaho when NBCSN airs the race this Friday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. ET.

 

The Monday Morning Donuts podcast is available on NASCAR Talk, Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Stitcher and podcasting apps. For more info click here.

 

DALE JARRETT & DALE EARNHARDT JR. ON THE FIRST RACE IN THE PLAYOFF ROUND OF 12

Dale Jarrett: “Dover is a huge challenge, a fun challenge if you have a good racecar, for these drivers. I think the first Cup race in this round is of upmost importance for drivers that are sitting from fifth on back in points.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: “Think about how exciting this has been. In just one round (of the Playoffs) we have seen such incredible drama. I can’t wait until Dover.”

 

UPCOMING NBC SPORTS GROUP NASCAR PROGRAMMING

 

DATE COVERAGE TIME (ET) NETWORK
Wednesday, Oct. 3 NASCAR America 5 p.m. NBCSN
Thursday, Oct. 4 NASCAR America 5 p.m. NBCSN
Dale Jr. Download 5:30 p.m. NBCSN
Friday, Oct. 5 NASCAR Cup Series First Practice – Dover 11 a.m. NBCSN
NASCAR Xfinity Series First Practice – Dover 12 p.m. NBCSN
NASCAR K&N Series –  Meridian 1 p.m. NBCSN
NASCAR Xfinity Series Final Practice – Dover 2:30 p.m. NBC Sports app, NBCSports.com
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Dover 3:30 p.m. NBC Sports app, NBCSports.com

NBC Sports Bay Area, NBC Sports Washington, NBC Sports Chicago

NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Dover (Encore) 5:30 p.m. NBCSN
Saturday, Oct. 6 NASCAR Cup Series Second Practice – Dover 11 a.m. CNBC
NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying – Dover 12 p.m. NBC Sports app, NBCSports.com
NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying – Dover 12:30 p.m. NBCSN
NASCAR America 1 p.m. NBCSN
NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – Dover 1:30 p.m. NBCSN
NASCAR Xfinity Series Countdown to Green 2:30 p.m. NBCSN
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Dover 3 p.m. NBCSN
NASCAR Xfinity Series Post-Race Show 5 p.m. NBCSN
Sunday, Oct. 7 NASCAR Cup Series Countdown to Green 1:30 p.m. NBCSN
NASCAR Cup Series Race – Dover 2 p.m. NBCSN
NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race Show 5:30 p.m. NBCSN
Victory Lap 6 p.m. NBCSN
Racing Roots 7 p.m. NBCSN

 

For more information about NBC Sports Group shows and properties, including press releases, photos, talent and executive bios and headshots, please visit NBCSportsGroupPressBox.com.

 

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