FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 21st, 2019
INDYCAR IN PRIMETIME, NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT ROAD AMERICA & IMSA HIGHLIGHT LIVE RACING COVERAGE THIS WEEKEND ON NBCSN
INDYCAR Bommarito Automotive Group 500 Airs Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN; Pre-Race Coverage Begins at 8 p.m. ET
NASCAR Xfinity Series Racing from Road America – Saturday at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Continues Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN from Virginia International Speedway
2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship Wraps Up This Weekend with Ironman National on NBC Sports Gold and NBCSN
Viewership Increases for NBC Sports’ NASCAR and INDYCAR Coverage This Past Weekend
STAMFORD, Conn. – August 21, 2019 – NBC Sports presents live INDYCAR, NASCAR Xfinity Series, IMSA and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross racing this weekend, highlighted by INDYCAR’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 from World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway outside of St. Louis this Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Pre-race coverage on NBCSN begins at 8 p.m. ET.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming coverage of the Bommarito Automotive Group 500.
NBC Sports’ motorsports coverage this weekend on NBCSN will also feature coverage of the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Road America on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship at Virginia International Raceway on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. ET, and the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship finale from Ironman Raceway (Crawfordsville, Indiana) Saturday and Sunday on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold..
INDYCAR BOMMARITO AUTOMOTIVE GROUP 500 – SATURDAY AT 8:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
The 2019 NTT IndyCar Series championship chase has narrowed to a four-man battle atop the standings, as 52 points separate the top four drivers with just three races left in the season. 2017 series champion Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) sits atop the standings (535 points) with a 35-point lead over Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport; 500 points) heading into this weekend’s race. 2019 Indy 500 champion Simon Pagenaud (Team Penske; 495 points) is just 40 points behind Newgarden, followed closely by five-time series champion Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing; 483 points).
Live coverage from World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway begins Friday with first practice at 2 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Gold’s INDYCAR Pass, followed by final practice that night at 9:15 p.m. ET. NBCSN presents live qualifying coverage Friday at 6 p.m. ET. Race day coverage on Saturday begins with pre-race coverage at 8 p.m. ET and race coverage at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Leigh Diffey will call this weekend’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 alongside analysts and former drivers Paul Tracy and Townsend Bell. Kevin Lee, Kelli Stavast, and Robin Miller will report from the pits.
Following is this weekend’s INDYCAR coverage from Pocono on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold:
| DATE | COVERAGE | TIME (ET) | NETWORK |
| Fri., Aug. 23 | Bommarito Automotive Group 500 – Practice 1 | 2 p.m. | NBC Sports Gold |
| Bommarito Automotive Group 500 – Qualifying | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Bommarito Automotive Group 500 – Practice 2 | 9:15 p.m. | NBC Sports Gold | |
| Sat., Aug. 24 | Bommarito Automotive Group 500 – Pre-Race | 8 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Bommarito Automotive Group 500 – Race | 8:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Bommarito Automotive Group 500 – Post Race | 10:30 p.m. | NBCSN |
NBCSN PRESENTS NASCAR XFINITY SERIES RACING FROM ROAD AMERICA – SATURDAY AT 3 P.M. ET
Austin Cindric goes for his 3rd consecutive road course win as the NASCAR Xfinity Series returns to Road America in Wisconsin this weekend. With four races to go in the Xfinity Series regular season, six playoff spots remain to be decided – and this sprawling, four-mile circuit has shook up the post-season picture before.
NBC Sports’ Xfinity Series coverage from Road America begins Friday at 1:30 p.m. ET with first practice, followed by final practice at 3:30 p.m. ET. Coverage of both practice sessions will be available on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App.
Race day coverage from Road America begins Saturday at 11:30 a.m. ET on NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports App with qualifying, which will also air on NBCSN at 1:30 p.m. ET. Countdown to Green follows on NBCSN at 2:30 p.m. ET, leading up to race coverage from the “Badger State” at 3 p.m. ET.
Dave Burns will call this weekend’s Xfinity Series race alongside Hall of Fame driver Dale Jarrett. Heather DeBeaux and Parker Kligerman will report from the pits.
Following is this weekend’s NASCAR Xfinity Series coverage from Road America on NBCSN:
| DATE | COVERAGE | TIME (ET) | NETWORK |
| Fri., Aug. 23 | Xfinity Series CTECH Manufacturing 180 – Practice | 1:30 p.m. | Streaming |
| Xfinity Series CTECH Manufacturing 180 – Final Practice | 3:30 p.m. | Streaming | |
| Sat., Aug. 24 | Xfinity Series CTECH Manufacturing 180 – Qualifying | 11:30 a.m. | Streaming |
| Xfinity Series CTECH Manufacturing 180 – Qualifying* | 1:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Xfinity Series CTECH Manufacturing 180 – Pre-Race | 2:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Xfinity Series CTECH Manufacturing 180 – Race | 3 p.m. | NBCSN |
*delayed coverage
LUCAS OIL PRO MOTOCROSS IRONMAN NATIONAL – SATURDAY ON NBCSN AND NBC SPORTS GOLD
NBC Sports concludes its presentation of the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship this weekend with coverage of the season finale, the Ironman National, from Ironman Raceway in Crawfordsville, Ind., on NBCSN and NBC Sports Gold.
In addition, NBC Sports Gold’s “Pro Motocross Pass” will super-serve the passionate Motocross fan base with live, commercial-free coverage of qualifiers and 1st and 2nd motos of the Ironman National.
Eli Tomac has already clinched his third consecutive 450MX championship, but the 250MX title will be decided at Ironman between Adam Cianciarulo and Dylan Ferrandis. Cianciarulo enters the finale with a 30-point lead over Ferrandis, and it’s not the first time the two have clashed with a title on the line. This past May at the Supercross season finale in Las Vegas, Cianciarulo was in position to win the 250SX West title, but crashed with a few minutes to go – allowing Ferrandis to claim the title with a win.
Jason Weigandt will handle play-by-play duties for this weekend’s coverage of the Ironman National alongside analyst and two-time AMA Pro Motocross Champion Grant Langston and pit reporter Will Christien.
In the U.S., NBC Sports Gold is available on Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Roku and online at NBCSportsGold.com. Fans in the U.S. and in 13 international territories (UK, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Ireland, Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg and Japan) can purchase “Pro Motocross Pass” now for a discounted price of for $9.99. Click here for more information.
NBC Sports Gold is powered by Playmaker Media, NBC Sports Digital’s technology service which provides end-to-end support for companies in need of best-in-class live streaming and VOD solutions.
| DATE | COVERAGE | TIME (ET) | NETWORK |
| Sat., Aug. 24 | Lucas Oil Pro MX Ironman National – Qualifiers | 10:15 a.m. | NBC Sports Gold |
| Lucas Oil Pro MX Ironman National – Moto 1 | 1 p.m. | NBC Sports Gold | |
| Lucas Oil Pro MX Ironman National – Moto 2 | 3:30 p.m. | NBC Sports Gold | |
| Sun., Aug. 25 | Lucas Oil Pro MX Budds Creek – Moto 2* | 11 p.m. | NBCSN |
*delayed coverage
IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP FROM VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY – SUNDAY AT 1:30 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
For the second and final time in 2019, the GT classes of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship take center stage at the 3.27-mile Virginia International Raceway, near the Virginia-North Carolina border. Ford Chip Ganassi Racing’s duo of Richard Westbrook and Ryan Briscoe will go for their third consecutive win in GTLM.
Rick Allen (play-by-play), former IMSA GT driver Calvin Fish (analyst), and motorsports veteran A.J. Allmendinger (analyst) will call the action this Sunday, along with pit reporters Brian Till and Jon Beekhuis.
VIEWERSHIP INCREASES FOR NBC SPORTS’ NASCAR AND INDYCAR COVERAGE THIS PAST WEEKEND
NBC Sports’ coverage of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series from Bristol and the NTT IndyCar Series from Pocono this weekend resulted in viewership increases for both races vs. last year, according to television data from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics.
NASCAR
Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bristol Night Race averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 2.530 million viewers across NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, up 8% vs. last year and making it the most-watched sporting event on cable of the week.
INDYCAR
Despite a lengthy red flag and a shortened race due to weather, NBC Sports’ coverage of the ABC Supply 500 from Pocono (2:47-6 p.m. ET) averaged a TAD of 553,000 viewers on Sunday across NBCSN, NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app, up vs. last year (548,000) and making it the most-watched INDYCAR race on cable since last year’s finale at Sonoma on Sept. 16 (638,000 viewers). Will Power’s victory of the weather-shortened race delivered TV-only viewership of 549,000 viewers and a household rating of 0.36.
For more information, click here.
MOTORSPORTS ON NBCSPORTS.COM AND THE NBC SPORTS APP
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will provide live streaming coverage of all NASCAR, IMSA and Lucas Oil Pro Motocross championship coverage airing on NBC and NBCSN via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms.
NBCSports.com and the NBC Sports app are powered by Playmaker Media and available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.
–NBC SPORTS–
