FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 26th, 2019
NBC SPORTS CELEBRATES NASCAR THROWBACK WEEKEND AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY ON NBC AND NBCSN
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 – Sunday, Sept. 1, at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN
NASCAR Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 – Saturday, Aug. 31, at 4 p.m. ET on NBC
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Scheduled to Compete in Saturday’s Xfinity Race on NBC
STAMFORD, Conn. – August 26, 2019 – NBC Sports celebrates NASCAR Throwback Weekend and the penultimate race of the regular season with nearly 20 hours of trackside coverage from Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C., highlighted by the NASCAR Cup Series Bojangles’ Southern 500 this Sunday, Sept. 1, at 6 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
NBC Sports will also present the NASCAR Xfinity Series race from Darlington on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 4 p.m. ET on NBC.
This marks NASCAR’s fifth consecutive Throwback Weekend at Darlington Raceway. This year celebrates specific moments and heroes from the 1990-94 era of NASCAR, and drivers will employ special throwback liveries on their cars.
Current Cup Series driver standings:
| Pos. | Driver | Mfr. | Points/Wins | Wins at Darlington |
| 1 | No. 18 Kyle Busch | Toyota | 932/4 | 1(2008) |
| 2 | No. 22 Joey Logano | Ford | 893/2 | 0 |
| 3 | No. 11 Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 855/4 | 2(2010,2017) |
| 4 | No. 19 Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 838/4 | 1(2016) |
| 5 | No. 4 Kevin Harvick | Ford | 830/2 | 1(2014) |
Denny Hamlin earned his fourth win of the season at the Bristol Night Race on Aug. 17 on NBCSN, edging out No. 95 Matt DiBenedetto who registered a career-best second place finish. With just two races remaining in the regular season, notable drivers in danger of missing the Playoffs include No. 14 Clint Bowyer and seven-time series champion No. 48 Jimmie Johnson. The top 16 drivers qualify.
| Pos. | Driver | Mfr. | Points Clear | Wins at Darlington |
| 15 | No. 6 Ryan Newman | Ford | +14 | 0 |
| 16 | No. 41 Daniel Suarez | Ford | +2 | 0 |
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*PLAYOFF CUTOFF LINE* |
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| 17 | No. 14 Clint Bowyer | Ford | -2 | 0 |
| 18 | No. 48 Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | -26 | 3(2004 x2, 2012) |
No. 2 Brad Keselowski won last year’s Bojangles Southern 500 at Darlington.
NASCAR CUP SERIES RACING FROM DARLINGTON – SUNDAY AT 6 P.M. ET ON NBCSN
NBC Sports begins its Cup Series coverage from Darlington with first practice on Friday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN, followed by final practice at 4 p.m. ET and NASCAR America Fan Friday at 5 p.m. ET. Qualifying airs Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Pre-race coverage on NBCSN begins Sunday at 5 p.m. ET with NASCAR America, leading into Countdown to Green at 5:30 p.m. ET, and race coverage at 6 p.m. ET.
NBC Sports’ lead race announcer Rick Allen will call the action alongside Daytona 500-winning crew chief Steve Letarte. 21-time Cup Series winner Jeff Burton, who swept both races at Darlington in 1999, 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 Hall of Fame driver and three-time Darlington winner Dale Jarrett, who won three times at Darlington will host NASCAR America, as well as all pre- and post-race coverage from the Peacock Pit Box on pit road. Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, and Dave Burns will provide commentary and interviews from pit road, and Rutledge Wood will report on stories around the track leading up to and during the race.
Host Danielle Trotta, NBCSports.com lead motorsports writer Nate Ryan and motorsport analyst and current driver Parker Kligerman will host NASCAR Victory Lap following the checkered flag on NBCSN, taking calls from fans and discussing the biggest stories of the race weekend.
XFINITY SERIES RACING FROM DARLINGTON – SATURDAY AT 4 P.M. ET ON NBC
NBC Sports’ Xfinity Series coverage from Darlington begins Friday at 1 p.m. ET with first practice on NBCSN, followed by final practice at 3 p.m. ET. Qualifying airs Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN. Countdown to Green previews the race at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC, leading into the race at 4 p.m. ET on NBC.
Last week, Dale Earnhardt Jr. announced via the social media internet website Twitter.com that he plans to race in Saturday’s Xfinity Series race on NBC. Earnhardt Jr. competed in last year’s Richmond Xfinity race and finished fourth.
JACKPOT FOR “NASCAR PICK ‘EM” FREE-TO-PLAY GAME ON NBC SPORTS PREDICTOR APP SWELLS TO $30,000 FOR DARLINGTON
Nearly 35,000 players participated in NBC Sports’ free-to-play NASCAR Pick ’Em game at Bristol, but none were able to record a perfect score, so the jackpot now swells to $30,000 for this weekend’s race at Darlington. Fans that want to participate can download the NBC Sports Predictor application on their cellular device and will require a connection to the Internet.
- 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.
Following is this week’s NASCAR programming across NBC Sports:
| DATE | COVERAGE | TIME (ET) | NETWORK |
| Mon., Aug. 26 | NASCAR America | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Tue., Aug. 27 | NASCAR America Dale Jr. Download | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Wed., Aug. 28 | NASCAR America Motormouths | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Thur., Aug. 29 | NASCAR America Motorsports Hour | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| NASCAR K&N Pro Series – Gateway* | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Fri., Aug. 30 | NASCAR Xfinity Series Practice – Darlington | 1 p.m. | NBCSN |
| NASCAR Cup Series Practice – Darlington | 2 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Final Practice – Darlington | 3 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Final Practice – Darlington | 4 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR America Fan Friday | 5 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Sat., Aug. 31 | NASCAR Xfinity Series Qualifying – Darlington | 12:30 p.m. | NBCSN |
| NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying – Darlington | 2 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| Countdown to Green | 3:30 p.m. | NBC | |
| NASCAR Xfinity Series Racing from Darlington | 4 p.m. | NBC | |
| Sun., Sept. 1 | NASCAR America | 5 p.m. | NBCSN |
| Countdown to Green | 5:30 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Racing from Darlington | 6 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Post-Race | 10 p.m. | NBCSN | |
| NASCAR Victory Lap | 11 p.m. | NBCSN |
*delayed/encore presentation
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. 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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