“Survive and advance folks. That’s what the playoffs are all about.” – Steve Letarte on advancing in the Playoffs
Dale Jr. Download with NASCAR Hall-of-Famer Ron Hornaday – Tonight at 5 p.m and 9 p.m. ET on NBCSN
2019 Xfinity Series Playoffs Begin in Richmond This Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN
STAMFORD, Conn. – September 17, 2019 – 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--
